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AMAZONS 

OF 

SOUTH  AMERICA 

ThriHinjjAdventuresof  RecKlGss 

^    Buccaneers  and  Daring  ^ 

TreGbobtGrs 


CHICAGO. 

ALEXANDER  BELFORD  &  CO. 


277  DEARBORN   STREET 


No. 


4.       The  Belford  Series.       Issued  Semi-Monthly.       $6.00  per  Annum. 

Entered  at  the  Chicago  Postoffice  as  second-class  matter. 


December  15, 1899. 


-# 


THE  AMAZONS 


OF 


SOUTH  AMERICA 


THRILLING  ADVENTURES  OF  RECKLESS 

BUCCANEERS  AND  DARING 

FREEBOOTERS 


C.  M.  STEVANS"^!^ 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  BUCCANEERS  AND  THEIR  REIGN  OF  TERROR,"  ETC. 

STEVENS,    OvVVRUES      lv\fl-e.UELLKN^      l8r(^( 

C'  ILLUSTRATED   BY 

LOUIS   BRAUNHOLD 


* 


CHICAGO 

ALEXANDER    BELFORD    &   CO. 

1899 


Copyright,  1899 
By  ALEXANDER  BELFORD  &  CO. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

South  American  Amazons  -            -            -            -  ii 

Merida,  Resurrection  of  a  Sensation  in  History  35 

OjEDA       -              -              -              -              -              -  63 

Nunez            -             -            -            -            -            -  92 

Marina  -  -  -  -  -  -115 

The  Land  of  War               -            -            -            -  138 

Where   the    Spaniard    could   not   Conquer — A 

Story  of  De  Soto       -            -            -            -  163 

Adventures  in  Search  of  El  Dorado     -            -  185 

Adventures  of  the  Maranones           -            -  207 

The  Liberators       -----  230 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGB 

A  Messenger  Armed  only  with  a  Knife  Con- 
cealed Under  his  Cloak  -  Frontispiece 

Six  Months  Later,  the  Interpreter  Appeared 
AT  the  Reduction  with  a  Remarkable  Story 
OF  his  Escape  -  -  -  -  -       21 

She  Beckoned  Them  to  Follow  Her  -  31 

A  Young  Girl  in  Peasant  Dress  Fell  on  her 
Knees  Before  the  Favorite  Companion  of 
Queen  Isabella  -  -  -  "39 

The    Admiral,  Bending    over    the    Unconscious 

Body  of  Juan  Marido        -  -  -  59 

Like   an   Arrow   the  Animal   Sped  Toward  the 

Distant  Tents  -  -  -  -65 

An    Indian   Village  Reminding   Him  of  Venice, 

He  Named  Little  Venice,  or  Venezuela  77 

It  was  Ojeda,  with  his  Buckler  over  his  Shoul- 
der AND  HIS  Sword  in  his    Hand  -  85 

Behold  my  Daughter,  Take  Her  for  thy  Wife       95 

The    Chief    Lay  Prostrate   on   the   Ground,   a 

Terrified  Prisoner      .  -  .  .     loi 

The  Sublime  Prospect  of  the  Great  Sea  In- 
spired Him  with  the  Most  Exalted  Emotions     107 

He   Stood   on  the   Beach   and   Boldly  Awaited 

THE  Spaniards  -  -  -  -  -     117 

Montezuma  Fell  into  the  Arms  of  his  Attend- 
ants, Mortally  Wounded  -  -  131 

He  Drew  his  Sword  and  Struck  a  Line  in  the 

Sand      -  -  -  .  ^  -    i^j 

? 


She  Blindfolded  Him  and  Led  Him  a  Long  Dis- 
tance -  -  -  -  -  153 
"What   Ho!   You  Traitors!  Have  you   Come  to 

Kill  Me  in  my  Own  House?"  -  -     159 

A  Troop  of  Horsemen  Came    Racing  Down  to 

THE  Shore  -  -  -  -  -  165 

They  Came  upon  an  Indian  Hiding  in  a  Clump  of 

Bushes  -  -  -  -  -  -     i77 

One    by    One    the    Slaves  Sank  Beneath   their 

Burdens  of  Gold  -  -  -  -  189 

Maldonado    Saved     Himself     by     Hiding     in    a 

Hollow  Log  -----  197 
They  Found  the  Lawyer,  Face  Downward  upon 

THE  Floor,  Grasping  a  Broken  Sword    -  209 

Llamaso  and  Carrion  Killed  Her  in  the  Most 

Revolting  Manner      -  -  -  -     217 

In  the  Morning  They  Went  into  the  Town  but 

Found  it  Deserted  -  -  -  225 

At  Parting  He  Placed  a  Ring  upon  her  Finger  235 
The   Unsuccessful    Assassin    in   Chains   on  the 

Floor  of  the  Castle  Dungeon  -  -     247 


SOUTH    AMERICAN   AMAZONS 

Women  have  borne  such  heroic  parts  in  the  battles 
of  tribes  and  nations  that  no  surprise  or  sentiment 
was  felt  when  reports  came  from  Manila  that  many, 
clothed  as  men,  were  found  among  -  the  insur- 
gent dead.  History,  both  fabulous  and  authentic, 
abounds  in  martial  deeds  of  the  so-called  non-com- 
batants. But  from  no  source  has  there  come  such 
wild  stories  as  from  the  early  explorers  of  South 
America. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  the  belief  was  universal 
that  there  were  tribes  in  America  domineered  wholly 
by  women.  Columbus,  in  one  of  his  reports,  wrote  a 
full  account  of  an  island  inhabited  entirely  by  woimen, 
and  Cortes,  in  a  letter  to  the  Emperor  Charles  V, 
gives  a  description  of  a  province  peopled  only  by 
amazons.  De  Soto  and  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  left  testi- 
mony of  their  existence,  and  almost  every  explorer, 
missionary,  conqueror  and  historian  from  Columbus 
to  Condamine  and  Humboldt,  believed  in  the  stories 
of  women  warriors.  Like  all  such  accounts,  error 
was  mixed  with  truth,  and  the  error  so  predominated 
that  the  stories  of  the  amazons  have  been  by  general 
consent  relegated  to  the  shades  of  myth  and  fic- 
tion. However,  there  were  tribes  of  South  American 
amazons,  not  from  choice,  but  by  accident  and  neces- 
sity.   The  adventures  of  the  early  sea  rovers  and  ex- 


12  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

plorers  amply  attest  this  fact.  One  of  the  most  curi- 
ous incidents  is  related  of  a  crew  from  the  French 
buccaneering  fleet  of  Le  Sieur  Maubenon.  Off  the 
coast  of  Venezuela  in  1674,  one  of  the  vessels  was 
separated  from  the  others  in  a  storm  and  driven 
among  the  dangerous  reefs  of  Los  Roques.  Desperate 
efforts  wer  made  to  save  the  ship,  but  it  struck  on  a 
rock,  and  the  crew  had  barely  time  to  get  into  the 
long  boat,  without  an  ounce  of  water  or  food,  before 
the  ship  went  down.  They  were  driven  helplessly 
until  nearly  midnight,  when  they  were  cast 
upon  a  low,  marshy  shore.  Making  the  best  of  their 
situation,  they  waited  until  morning,  hoping  they 
were  upon  the  mainland,  where  they  might  have  rea- 
sonable expectation  of  escape.  At  the  first  appear- 
ance of  daylight  they  ascended  a  neighboring  hill, 
and  discovered  they  were  on  a  small  island,  in  the 
center  of  which  was  an  Indian  village  of  unusual  size. 
As  but  one  gun  and  half  a  dozen  swords  had  been 
saved,  it  was  necessary  to  be  very  cautious;  but  their 
hunger  was  so  pressing  that  little  delay  was  made 
in  making  their  presence  known.  Fortifying  them- 
selves as  securely  as  possible  on  the  side  of  the  hill 
nearest  their  boat,  they  sent  a  messenger,  armed  only 
'  with  a  knife  concealed  under  his  cloak,  to  test  the 
friendliness  of  the  natives.  So  far  they  had  seen  only 
women  and  children  about  the  huts,  but  a  huge  cir- 
cular house,  surrounded  by  a  rude  palisade,  obstructed 
part  of  the  view. 

An  unusual  commotion  was  visible  in  the  village 
as  the  peace  messenger  approached,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants disappeared.     This  puzzled  the  courier  as  much 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  13 

as  it  did  his  comrades,  for  he  spent  an  interminable 
time  in  reconnoitering.  As  he  approached  nearer, 
half  a  dozen-  well-aimed  arrows  admonished  him  not 
to  approach  within  range  of  the  palisades  around  the 
big  circular  house.  The  Frenchmen  knew  that  their 
comrade,  Pierre  Lescat,  was  brave  enough  for  any 
adventure,  but  it  was  very  disquieting  to  see  him 
disappear  among  the  huts.  The  buccaneers  waited 
until  they  became  convinced  that  something  ill  had 
befallen  him,  when  they  set  out  to  accomplish  his 
rescue.  Half  way  to  the  village  they  saw  a  column 
of  smoke  rising  from  the  center  of  the  circular  house, 
as  if  for  a  signal,  and  soon  after  Lescat  appeared, 
carrying  enough  cassava  cakes  and  nuts  to  make  them 
a  welcome  breakfast.  The  information  he  brought 
was  most  astonishing.  The  island  was  inhabited  only 
by  women,  and  was  the  famous  home  of  the  amazons. 
Their  reputation  for  implacable  fierceness  was  also 
well  sustained,  for  no  one  dared  within  arrow-shot 
of  the  palisade.  Efforts  were  continued  throughout 
the  day  to  open  friendly  communication  with  them, 
since  no  more  food  was  to  be  found,  with  the  result 
that  two  of  the  more  venturesome  were  severely 
wounded.  That  night,  in  place  of  the  column  of 
smoke,  a  bonfire  was  kept  burning,  and  sentinels 
armed  with  bows  and  spears  could  be  seen  guarding 
every  part  of  the  palisades.  When  morning  came 
the  buccaneers  made  a  thorough  search  for  food,  but 
could  find  none.  After  another  effort  to  open  nego- 
tiations, the  pangs  of  hunger  made  them  determine 
to  capture  the  storehouse  and  stronghold  by  assault. 
A  number  of  long  pole§  were  procured,  and  a  msh 


H  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

was  made  from  behind  the  nearest  cabin  against  the 
palisades.  A  wide  strip  of  the  defenses  was  torn 
down,  but  the  assailants  were  obliged  to  drop  their 
poles  and  run,  with  numerous  severe  wounds  from 
the  well-directed  shafts  of  the  defenders. 

Pierre  Lescat  then  conceived  a  brilliant  plan  for 
destroying  the  defenses.  Three  or  four  movable 
blockhouses  were  made  of  the  thatched  roofs  from 
the  huts,  and  inclosed  in  these  the  men,  with  their 
swords  tied  on  the  ends  of  long  cane  stalks,  pushed 
their  way  into  the  enclosure,  tore  a  wide  opening 
through  the  side  of  the  circular  building,  and  spread 
their  protecting  screens  around  a  huge  pile  of  cassava 
bread,  nuts,  and  bucanned  meat.  The  feasting  that 
followed  was  not  altogether  pleasant,  since  the  women 
were  ranged  around  the  wall  and  were  able  to  send 
several  arrows  through  openings  in  the  screen. 
Another  attempt  to  parley  with  the  implacable  females 
ended  disastrously,  since  the  moment  the  venture- 
some spokesman  showed  himself,  an  arrow  tore  a 
vicious  wound  in  his  pacifically  raised  arm. 

The  portable  fortification  was  then  moved  forward 
and  the  amazons,  unable  to  defend  themselves  against 
it,  rushed  outside,  abandoning  the  storehouse  to  the 
victors.  The  generous  instincts  of  the  Frenchmen 
toward  feminine  distress  suggested  a  scheme  for 
friendly  parley.  Each  man  took  an  armful  from  the 
pile  of  provisions  and  followed  the  women,  who,  to 
the  number  of  about  a  hundred,  were  guarding  the 
flight  of  an  equal  number  that  had  gone  ahead  with 
the  children.  In  vain,  with  all  the  conciliating  ges- 
tures at  their  command,  they  offered  to  share  their 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  15 

captured  provisions  with  the  vanquished,  but  were 
compelled  to  keep  out  of  range  from  the  threatening 
arrows.  An  hour  or  more  passed  in  these  futile  efforts, 
and  the  far  end  of  the  island  was  nearly  reached,  when 
the  buccaneers,  looking  back  from  the  top  of  a  hill, 
saw  the  whole  village  in  a  mass  of  flames.  In  great 
alarm  they  ceased  their  blandishments  to  the  unappre- 
ciative  females  and  ran  breathlessly  back  to  the  burn- 
ing huts.  When  they  arrived  there,  nothing  remained 
but  heaps  of  ashes  and  embers.  As  the  provisions 
were  of  the  most  importance,  immediate  search  was 
made  among  the  ruins  of  the  circular  house,  but  noth- 
ing could  be  found  except  a  few  baked  nuts.  The 
mystery  was  solved  soon  after,  when  they  decided  to 
go  to  the  mainland,  which  could  be  seen  about  a 
league  distant.  To  their  consternation,  they  discov- 
ered their  boat  was  gone.  The  tracks  of  twenty  or 
thirty  amazons  and  several  bits  of  provisions  found 
in  the  sand,  disclosed  what  had  occurred.  A  hasty 
consultation  decided  the  angry  Frenchmen  they  were 
ho  longer  bound  to  respect  the  sex  of  these  cannibal 
Caribs. 

Depositing  in  a  place  of  safety  the  precious  provi- 
sions which  they  had  offered  to  the  ungrateful  females 
as  an  earnest  of  pacific  intentions,  the  buccaneers 
marched  back  to  the  far  end  of  the  island  with  the 
stern  determination  to  recapture  their  boat  at  any 
cost,  but  when  they  arrived  there  nothing  was  to  be 
seen  but  a  score  of  canoes  about  a  mile  from^  land, 
heading  for  an  adjacent  island.  Curses  availed  noth- 
ing, and  they  returned  to  spend  the  night  at  the  place 
where  they  had  left  their  scanty  provisions. 


i6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

When  morning  came  a  new  danger  menaced  them, 
for,  during  the  night,  two  or  three  hundred  warriors 
had  landed  near  them.  Doubtless  these  were  the  men 
of  the  village,  who  had  returned  from  hunting  or 
fighting.  The  buccaneers  fortified  themselves  and 
prepared  to  withstand  the  attack,  which  soon  came. 
Their  chief  hope  lay  with  Pierre  Lescat  and  his  mus- 
ket. With  this  he  was  able  to  keep  the  Indians  away 
during  the  day,  but  by  nightfall  he  had  fired  his  last 
charge  and  the  next  day  they  expected  to  fall  before 
the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  savages.  Just 
before  daybreak  they  were  beside  themselves  with  joy 
at  hearing  the  boom  of  a  cannon.  A  ship  from  Le 
Sieur  Maubenon's  fleet  had  been  sent  out  to  search 
for  them,  and  it  had  arrived  in  the  niche  of  time.  The 
savages  fled  and  the  Frenchmen  spread  their  story 
among  the  buccaneers.  Many  a  wild  yam  of  the  sea- 
rovers  is  directly  traceable  to  the  amazons  of  Los 
Roques. 

The  Spanish  annals  are  especially  full  of  romantic 
encounters  with  amazons.  Condamine  in  1743  found 
a  chief  who  claimed  to  have  been  bom  of  an  amazon 
mother,  and  this  chief's  son  said  that  he  had  often 
visited  the  female  fighters  with  his  father,  at  their 
fortified  town  on  an  island  in  the  Rio  Negro.  Orel- 
lana  and  his  Dominican  followers  in  Brazil  made 
many  attempts  to  carry  the  gospel  to  these  benighted 
women,  but  were  never  permitted  to  enter  their  ter- 
ritory. In  descending  the  Amazon  river,  then  known 
as  the  Maranon,  he  was  warned  by  many  Caciques  not 
to  attempt  to  pass  a  certain  settlement,  as  it  was  pos- 
sessed by  a  tribe  of  women  so  fierce  that  none  ever 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  17 

survived  who  entered  their  territory  unbidden.  Even 
the  phenomenally  savage  band  of  Lope  de  Ag-uirre 
turned  aside  from  their  course  in  1560,  fearing  to  pass 
through  the  lands  of  these  fierce  warrior  women. 
Early  in  1541,  Orellana  had  a  battle  with  a  savage 
tribe  at  the  mouth  of  the  Frombretas  river.  He  says 
that  with  them  was  a  band  of  amazons  who  fought 
with  greater  fierceness  than  he  had  ever  seen.  They 
used  bows  and  stone  hatchets,  while  some  bore  shields 
and  spears.  They  were  unconquerable  and  did  not 
desist  from,  killing  as  long  as  they  could  draw  breath. 
He  described  them  as  "tall,  robust  and  fair,  with  long 
hair  twisted  over  their  heads,  and  with  undressed 
skins  around  their  loins."  So  great  was  their  fame 
that  the  Spanish  Government  sent  out  several  expe- 
ditions to  conquer  them  and  every  explorer  was 
charged  with  the  duty  to  take  special  note  of  any 
information  concerning  them,  so  that  they  might  be 
brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Cross.  But  the  strange 
tribe  of  savage  females  were  always  just  beyond  the 
farthest  point  which  the  explorer  had  been  able  to 
reach.  D'Acuna  made  a  systematic  investigation 
through  Brazil  in  1639,  and  from  a  skeptic  became  a 
firm  believer  in  the  existence  of  these  untamable  crea- 
tures. He  claimed  to  have  found  irrefutable  proof 
that  they  were  located  at  that  time  on  the  river  Cun- 
uriz.  In  consequence.  Count  Pagan,  through  the 
friendly  offices  of  a  neighboring  chief,  was  allowed  to 
have  a  conference  with  a  deputation  of  amazons. 
Great  interest  and  sympathy  was  aroused  for  them 
in  Christendom,  and  they  becanie  the  objects  of  un- 
bounded solicitude  among  the  Ecclesiastics.    Several 


i8  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

histories  were  written  of  them,  and  one  by  L'Abbe 
Gujon  claimed  that  the  most  sacred  and  glorious  task 
ever  appearing  before  the  Church  was  the  conversion 
of  these  deluded  women.  Father  Cyprian  Baraza,  a 
Jesuit  missionary,  wrote  a  sensational  letter  to  his 
superiors  in  Spain,  giving  a  remarkable  story  of  a 
visit  to  them  in  1690.  They  allowed  him  to  preach 
to  them  through  his  interpreters  for  three  successive 
days  and  then  ordered  him  to  leave  the  country,  say- 
ing that  they  once  had  a  god,  but  he  had  abandoned 
them,  and  they  would  have  no  other.  They  were  then 
just  west  of  the  Paraguay,  at  the  twelfth  degree  south 
latitude.  Several  years  later,  another  Jesuit  mission- 
ary, Father  Gili,  wrote  that  he  had  visited  a  tribe  of 
amazons  on  the  Chuchivera  river  near  where  it  emp- 
ties into  the  Orinoco,  and  met  with  a  similar  experi- 
ence from  the  unteachable  barbarians.  Even  as  late 
as  1848,  the  natives  unanimously  declared  that  hordes 
of  female  warriors  ruled  with  dreadful  barbarity  the 
whole  territory  of  the  upper  Corentyn  in  the  Mara- 
wonne  country,  and  the  Macusi  Indians  showed 
immense  heaps  of  broken  pottery  at  numerous  places 
in  the  forests  as  proofs  of  former  dwelling  places  of 
the  amazons,  they  being  the  only  persons  ever  in  that 
region  who  had  a  taste  for  such  ornaments. 

One  of  the  best  authenticated  stories  of  the  ama- 
zons is  recorded  by  Hernando  de  Ribeira,  a  follower 
of  Cabeza  de  Vega.  In  1543  he  went  on  an  expedi- 
tion far  up  a  branch  of  the  Paraguay  river  into  the 
lands  of  the  Urtuezez  Indians.  The  caciques  every- 
where told  him  that  about  ten  days'  journey  to  the 
northwest  would  bring  him  into  a  territory  whose 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  19 

inhabitants  were  composed  wholly  of  women.  They 
were  said  to  be  in  no  way  offensive  or  aggressive,  but 
no  man  had  been  known  to  enter  their  domains  unin- 
vited and  come  out  alive.  For  the  first  time,  a  natural 
origin  was  ascribed  to  their  anomalous  government. 
It  was  said  that  they  had  been  a  powerful  tribe,  living 
as  other  tribes,  but  at  war  with  all  their  neighbors. 
One  of  their  most  aggressive  enemies,  in  a  sudden 
raid,  burnt  the  principal  village  and  slew  the  chief 
with  his  entire  family.  His  warriors  swore  that  they 
would  destroy  the  offending  tribe  or  be  destroyed 
themselves.  The  women  and  children  were  all  placed 
in  the  chief  remaining  village,  and  it  chanced  to  be 
that  every  male  was  capable  of  accompanying  the 
expedition,  and  all  were  pressed  into  service.  The 
enemy,  hearing  of  the  approaching  warriors,  formed 
a  coalition  of  tribes,  set  a  powerful  ambush,  and,  sur- 
rounding the  coming  enemy,  succeeded  in  killing 
them  all.  The  victors  determined  to  extirpate  the 
tribe,  but  the  women  built  palisades,  barricaded  their 
houses,  and  fought  so  desperately  that  the  enemy  was 
obliged  to  retire  without  having  accomplished  their 
object.  From  that  time  on  the  women  had  success- 
fully defended  their  homes  from  all  encroachments, 
had  slain  all  their  male  offspring  as  useless  appen- 
dages, and  had  allowed  no  man  to  enter  their  territory 
except  upon  invitation.  The  seat  of  their  government 
was  on  an  island  in  a  lake  known  as  the  Mansion  of 
the  Sun,  because  of  the  golden  ornaments  that  cov- 
ered the  houses  of  the  amazon  rulers,  and  which  were 
reflected  so  brilliantly  in  the  still  water. 
The  caciques  of  the  Urtuezez  nation  were  unanimous 


20  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

in  their  testimony  that  the  amazons  had  such  an 
abundance  of  white  and  yellow  metal  taken  from  their 
own  mines  that  all  their  utensils  and  weapons  were 
made  therefrom.  No  greater  lure  could  come  in  the 
way  of  the  Spaniards,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  at 
once  to  entreat  permission  for  the  white  strangers  to 
come  and  teach  them  the  true  religion  of  the  Cross. 
To  the  sorrow  of  Ribeira,  the  answer  was  returned 
that  only  three  of  the  Christian  priests  with  their  inter- 
preter, would  be  allowed  to  come,  and  that  under  the 
penalty  of  death  they  must  come  unarmed,  obey  the 
laws,  and  remain  no  longer  than  three  days.  As  it 
happened,  Father  Aldeno  was  the  only  priest  with  the 
expedition,  but  two  others  readily  volunteered  to 
assume  the  ofBce  and  face  the  danger.  A  month  after 
the  three  men  set  out  on  their  strange  mission,  Rib- 
eira was  compelled  to  return  to  the  nearest  reduction 
or  missionary  post  on  the  Paraguay,  without  any  tid- 
ings of  the  absent  men.  The  Urtuezez  chiefs  gravely 
advanced  the  opinion  that  the  Spaniards  had  in  some 
way  violated  the  laws  of  the  country  and  had  suf- 
fered the  penalty.  They  offered  to  find  out  what  had 
happened,  rescue  the  men  if  possible,  and,  in  any 
event,  to  report  the  matter  to  Ribeira  at  an  early  date. 
It  was  several  hundred  miles  to  the  Spanish  reduction, 
and  several  weeks  must  elapse  before  the  fate  of  the 
visitors  to  the  amazons  could  be  known,  but  the  Indi- 
ans promised  all  possible  haste. 

Six  months  later,  the  interpreter,  who  had  gone 
with  the  three  Spaniards,  appeared  at  the  reduction 
with  a  remarkable  story  of  his  escape.  He  brought 
the  first  information  that  the  Urtuezez  chiefs  could 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  23 

obtain  of  the  fate  of  the  Spaniards.  He  said  that 
Father  Aldeno  had  performed  his  duties  faithfully  and 
won  the  respect  of  the  women  chiefs,  but  that  the  two 
bogus  priests  had  from  the  first  neglected  their  duties 
and  had  busied  themselves  offensively  with  the  golden 
ornaments  and  in  flattering  the  vanity  of  the  younger 
women.  Father  Aldeno  and  the  interpreter  had 
warned  them  in  vain.  Suitable  presents  were 
exchanged,  and  they  set  out  on  their  return.  The 
third  night  after  their  departure,  the  priest  and  the 
interpreter  were  struck  with  consternation  to  find  that 
the  two  Spaniards  had  succeeded  in  enticing  two  of 
the  younger  amazons  to  follow  them,.  They  had  evi- 
dently stolen  away,  with  all  the  gold  they  could  carry, 
on  the  night  following  the  departure  of  the  visitors, 
and  succeeded  in  overtaking  their  lovers  on  the  third 
night.  Nothing  remained  but  to  get  as  far  from  pur- 
suit as  possible.  As  the  Spaniards  refused  to  part 
with  their  prizes,  they  broke  camp  at  once  and  the 
homeward  journey  became  a  flight.  The  interpreter 
had  warned  them  that  the  neighboring  tribes  were 
friendly  to  the  amazons,  and  that  all  villages  must  be 
avoided.  However,  the  next  day  they  suddenly  came 
upon  a  camp  of  Indian  hunters,  who  at  once  sur- 
rounded them  and  inquired  how  the  two  amazon  girls 
came  to  be  with  them.  Excuses  were  of  no  avail. 
Bribes  and  threats  likewise  effected  nothing.  Accord- 
ing to  their  treaty  with  the  amazons,  they  were 
obliged  to  return  all  runaways  and  their  seducers. 
This  could  be  no  exception.  Their  hands  were  bound 
and  a  dozen  warriors  were  deputed  to  take  the  prison- 
ers back  to  the  Mansion  of  the  Sun.    Hardly  had  they 


24  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

begun  the  return  march,  when  they  were  met  by  a 
score  of  amazons  in  hot  pursuit.  The  fugitives  were 
turned  over  to  the  warrior  women,  who  took  them 
back  to  the  outraged  community  for  trial  and  punish- 
ment. As  a  result  the  interpreter  and  the  priest  were 
sold  as  slaves  to  a  fierce  tribe  half  a  month's  journey 
to  the  north,  while  the  two  Spaniards  and  their 
inamoratas  were  placed  together  in  a  singular  prison 
which  the  amazons  had  constructed  for  such  male- 
factors. The  Indian  interpreter,  after  a  time,  suc- 
ceeded in  making  his  escape,  but  the  priest  bowed  to 
his  hard  servitude  as  being  the  will  of  God.  Accord- 
ing to  the  best  that  the  interpreter  could  learn,  the 
prison  made  for  the  malefactors  of  the  amazons,  con- 
sisted of  a  high  circular  wall  around  a  small  island  in 
the  lake.  In  this  place  were  thrown  all  who  disobeyed 
the  laws,  where  they  were  kept  without  clothing  or 
shelter  during  the  remainder  of  their  miserable  exist- 
ence. Their  sole  subsistence  was  derived  from  what- 
ever they  could  grow  in  the  soil,  and  from  the  food 
to  be  procured  in  exchange  for  the  ornaments  they 
could  make  from  the  clay  and  stone  found  in  the  earth 
of  the  enclosure.  Such  was  the  horror  inspired  by 
this  place,  that  the  laws  were  implicitly  obeyed,  and 
there  had  never  been  more  than  a  dozen  persons  at 
one  time  thus  imprisoned.  The  Spaniards  at  the 
Jesuit  reductions  were  eager  to  conquer  the  amazons 
and  release  their  comrades,  but  they  were  too  few  in 
number  for  such  an  enterprise  and  the  project  was 
abandoned.  It  was  fifty  years  before  white  men  again 
penetrated  the  region.  This  was  done  by  the  Portu- 
g^uese  from  Brazil.    They  found  the  territory  about 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  25 

the  Mansion  of  the  Sun  occupied  by  a  flourishing 
tribe,  who  had  many  stories  and  traditions  concerning 
the  subjugation  of  the  amazons  by  a  neighboring 
tribe,  but  there  was  nothing  to  establish  the  unques- 
tionable identity  of  the  race  of  women  warriors. 

Some  historians  suppose  that  the  habit  of  the  Guar- 
ani-Brazilian  race  of  Indians  of  wearing  combs  in  their 
long  hair,  which  was  usually  knotted  upon  their  heads 
feminine  fashion,  gave  rise  to  the  many  extraordinary 
stories  about  the  amazons.  It  is  certain  that  in  the 
territory  of  these  Indians,  the  most  persistent  reports 
of  female  tribes  were  met  with. 

For  two  hundred  years  there  was  a  universal  belief 
that  a  nation  of  women  ruled  over  a  vast  area  of  South 
America.  The  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  were  con- 
tinually producing  individuals  who  had  escaped  from 
these  strange  women  after  experiencing  adventures 
which  would  be  incredible  to  any  but  such  mystery- 
loving  people.  The  Dutch  and  French  were  but  little 
behind  their  neighbors  in  wonderful  stories  of  these 
remarkable  women.  The  English  alone,  however 
credulous,  seem  never  to  have  found  any  evidence 
worthy  of  record.  Southey,  the  painstaking  English 
historian  of  Brazil,  summed  up  all  the  evidence  very 
carefully  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  were 
no  tribes  of  amazons. 

In  the  stories  recorded  by  the  French  explorers, 
that  of  Jean  Villiers  awakened  the  greatest  interest. 
He  had  been  lost  on  one  of  their  expeditions  on  the 
Orinoco,  and  after  three  or  four  years  appeared  at 
the  settlements  in  Guiana,  claiming  that  he  had  been 
captured  by  a  tribe  of  amazons.    According  to  his 


26  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

story,  they  had  cultivated  and  refined  their  minds, 
while  the  men  were  degraded  and  brutalized  by  con- 
tinual war,  till  they  became  greatly  superior,  and,  for 
that  reason,  refused  to  live  subject  to  the  inferior 
habits  of  the  men.  The  female  children  they  bore 
were  of  their  own  exalted  instincts  and  tastes,  but 
their  male  offspring  were  invariably  of  the  brutish  and 
inferior  type  of  their  fathers.  Therefore  the  women 
had  gone  into  a  community  by  themselves,  refusing 
to  associate  with  their  husbands  except  as  the  fancy 
pleased  them.  He  said  that  they  were  so  fond  of  gold 
and  silver  ornaments,  and  those  metals  were  so  little 
esteemed  among  the  other  Indian  tribes,  that  they 
had  succeeded  in  collecting  nearly  all  the  gold  and 
silver  in  the  country,  with  which  they  adorned  their 
persons  and  houses.  To  this  cause  he  attributed  the 
dearth  of  precious  metals  in  the  French  territories. 
In  support  of  the  truth  of  his  story,  he  loaded  two 
pack  mules  with  trinkets  dear  to  feminine  eyes,  and 
disappeared  in  the  forests  for  three  months  or  more. 
On  his  return  he  showed  a  rich  exchange  of  curiously 
wrought  gold  and  silver  ornaments.  In  subsequent 
visits  to  the  amazons,  he  refused  all  partnerships  in 
his  enterprise,  and  nothing  could  induce  him  to  reveal 
the  source  of  his  rapidly  growing  wealth.  The  roman- 
tic stories  he  told  concerning  his  experience  among 
the  wonderful  tribe  of  females  were  the  sensation  of 
his  time,  but  he  successfully  defeated  all  efforts  made 
to  ferret  out  his  pecuHar  patronesses,  and  returned  to 
France  with  his  secret  and  his  wealth. 

Portales,  the  Spanish  governor  of  Venezuela,  was 
so  aroused  by  the  stories  of  Villiers,  that  he  sent  out 


soxirn  American  ama^ons         2^ 

a  searching  party,  which  was  gone  nearly  a  year. 
They  reported  that  the  so-called  amazons  of  Villiers 
were  a  kind  of  religious  order  of  women,  who  lived 
on  an  island  in  the  Rio  Negro,  after  the  manner  of 
the  virgins  of  the  sun.  There  were  less  than  a  hun- 
dred of  them,  and  their  gold  came  from  the  surround- 
ing tribes  as  a  religious  offering  or  tribute.  As  the 
Spaniards  came  back  empty-handed,  with  the  loss  of 
three-fourths  of  their  number  through  the  hardships 
they  had  undergone,  it  was  strongly  suspected  that 
their  story  was  made  as  an  excuse  for  the  failure  of 
their  expedition. 

Francisco  Torralva,  in  behalf  of  the  Spanish  Gov- 
ernment, made  a  very  extended  search  and  his  report 
located  an  extensive  tribe  of  amazons  in  western  Gui- 
ana, whom  he  invested  with  all  the  romance  of  the 
day.  But,  regardless  of  the  overwhelming  testimony 
of  both  priests  and  adventurers,  their  identity  was 
never  sufhciently  established  to  satisfy  modem  belief. 

Many  ingenious  theories  have  been  advanced  to 
explain  the  incredible  stories  that  were  so  implicitly 
believed  for  more  than  two  centuries,  as  well  as  to 
account  for  the  actual  existence  of  the  amazons,  but 
the  true  origin  of  the  persistent  and  prevailing  testi- 
mony will  doubtless  remain  a  mystery. 

The  Peruvian  accounts  of  the  amazons  are  all  inci- 
dental to  the  search  for  the  golden  riches  of  El  Do- 
rado. Perhaps  none  are  so  well  attested  as  those 
recorded  among  the  adventures  of  the  followers  of 
the  younger  Almagro.  After  the  decisive  battle 
of  Chupas,  a  considerable  band  of  the  defeated  "men 
of  Chili"  escaped  across  the  Andes  to  the  unknown 


28  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

regions  east  of  Cuzco.  They  descended  into  the  trop- 
ical forests  of  Caravaya,  and  there  broke  up  into  small 
parties,  some  of  which  took  Indian  wives  and  founded 
towns.  Among  these  were  Sandia,  San  Gobin,  and 
San  Juan  del  Oro.  So  much  gold  was  sent  to  Spain 
from  Del  Oro,  that  Charles  V  gave  it  the  title  of 
Royal  City.  Eventually  the  Chunche  Indians  of  the 
Sirineyri  tribe  massacred  all  the  Spaniards  east  of  the 
Andes  and  burnt  their  towns.  Until  as  late  as  1852, 
no  attempt  was  made  to  penetrate  these  regions, 
except  by  the  Peruvian  bark-hunters.  Curious  evi- 
dences of  Spanish  civilization  are  still  to  be  found 
in  the  overgrown  ruins  of  these  forest  cities. 

The  Cascarilleros,  as  the  bark-hunters  were  called, 
often  brought  the  most  romantic  stories  of  Spanish- 
Indian  tribes,  living  aloof  from  the  natives,  with 
strange  barbaric  splendor  in  the  midst  of  the  almost 
impenetrable  forests.  These  stories  were  readily 
believed,  since  about  this  time,  an  extensive  tribe, 
known  as  the  Jeberos,  was  found  on  the  Amazon  by 
the  Dominican  missionaries,  every  member  of  which 
received  the  homage  of  the  surrounding  tribes  from 
being  the  offspring  of  Spanish  women  captured  in 
the  insurrections  of  1599.  ^^^  ^^  these  tribes  of  the 
Caravaya  forests,  living  in  almost  religious  seclusion, 
claimed  to  be  descendants  of  the  "children  of  the  sun" 
and  an  exalted  band  of  noble  amazons.  Some  repre- 
sentatives of  the  tribe  crossed  the  Andes  with  the  Cas- 
carilleros and  visited  the  Spanish  settlements.  There 
could  be  no  question  of  their  Spanish  descent,  but 
they  refused  to  allow  a  priest  to  return  with  them  and 
warned  the  Spaniards  not  to  visit  them. 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  29 

The  discovery  of  this  tribe  gave  color  to  one  of  the 
marvelous  stories  that  had  long  been  related  among 
the  adventures  of  the  "men  of  Chili"  who  had  escaped 
across  the  Andes  from  the  rage  of  Vaca  de  Castro. 

This  remnant  of  the  veteran  soldiery  of  Almagro 
found  so  little  opposition  in  the  great  tropical  forests 
beyond  the  mountains  that  they  divided  into  con- 
genial bands  and  sought  their  fortunes  separately. 
One  of  these,  consisting  of  Spanish  knights,  became 
lost  and  wandered  for  an  unknown  time  through  the 
flowery  jungles.  At  last  they  came  to  a  most  singu- 
lar obstruction.  It  consisted  of  a  row  of  cedar  trees 
with  thickly  growing  shrubs  so  intertwined  with  vines 
as  to  be  impenetrable.  At  one  place  they  hewed  an 
opening  with  their  swords  to  the  distance  of  ten  feet 
without  relief.  Then  they  followed  the  green  wall 
until  it  came  to  an  abrupt  turn,  as  if  the  strange  forest 
were  of  rectangualr  form.  Following  on  to  the  dis- 
tance of  nearly  a  league,  they  came  to  a  clear,  cold 
stream  flowing  through  the  wall;  and,  as  it  was  grow- 
ing dark,  they  decided  to  camp  there  for  the  night. 

As  darkness  came  on  they  were  amazed  to  hear  the 
melancholy  chant  of  many  feminine  voices  accom- 
panied by  the  tinkle  of  castanets  and  the  soft  tones  of 
some  reed  instrument  like  a  flute.  Nothing  could 
exceed  the  interest  with  which  they  waited  the  com- 
ing day.  With  the  first  break  of  dawn,  the  score  of 
adventurers,  who  were  veterans  in  wonders  as  well 
as  in  war,  refreshed  themselves  with  their  scanty  food 
and  set  forth  to  penetrate  the  mystery  before  them. 

Just  beyond  the  stream,  the  extraordinary  wall 
crossed  a  small  hill,  on  the  top  of  which  it  turned 


30  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

again  at  right  angles.  Here,  hidden  under  a  mass 
of  flowering  vines,  they  found  a  narrow  entrance, 
through  which  they  eagerly  passed,  but,  to  their 
amazement,  after  moving  through  the  close  leafy 
aisles  for  half  an  hour,  they  found  themselves  emerg- 
ing one  by  one,  on  the  outside  a  few  steps  beyond  the 
corner  where  they  had  entered.  However,  in  look- 
ing over  their  numbers,  it  was  found  that  their  leader, 
Diego  de  Bonilla,  was  missing.  They  waited  some 
time,  but  as  he  did  not  appear,  they  decided  to  trav- 
erse the  labyrinth  again.  To  their  chagrin  they  once 
more  found  themselves  outside  the  wall.  Nothing  had 
been  seen  of  the  knightly  cavalier  under  whom  most 
of  them  had  served  since  the  days  when  they  had 
shared  in  the  spoils  of  the  Inca. 

While  they  were  considering  what  to  do,  they  were 
electrified  by  the  appearance  at  the  entrance  of  a 
comely  Indian  girl,  daintily  enrobed  in  a  scarlet  fabric 
of  llama's  wool.  She  beckoned  them  to-  follow  her, 
and  after  a  few  steps  they  found  themselves  in  a  great 
orchard  of  native  fruits,  extending  each  way  around 
the  walls.  A  few  hundred  paces  more  brought  them 
to  a  little  village  consisting  of  a  score  of  huts,  in  the 
center  of  which  there  was  an  immense  arbor  or  bower. 
In  this  they  found  their  leader  seated  on  the  floor, 
in  the  midst  of  a  hundred  Indian  women.  Diego  de 
Bonilla  knew  the  language  of  the  Incas,  and  one  of 
the  girls  was  able  to  talk  with  him.  During  the  con- 
ference, three  old  women,  the  only  ones  to  be  seen, 
were  performing  some  kind  of  a  religious  ceremony. 

It  was  soon  learned  that  these  women  were  the 
daughters  of  the  chief  men  of  the  surrounding  tribes, 


SOUTH  AMERICAN  AMAZONS  33 

brought  here  as  a  sacred  place  of  safety  to  escape  the 
capture  and  massacre  incident  to  their  constant  wars. 
In  the  season,  which  was  just  past,  their  fathers  came 
with  such  husbands  as  had  been  selected  for  them*, 
and  the  ones  thus  given  in  marriage  were  taken  away, 
while  others  who  had  arrived  within  three  seasons  of 
a  marriageable  age,  were  brought  there  to  remain 
until  their  fathers  had  found  suitable  husbands.  For 
a  month  after  the  departure  of  the  lucky  ones  with 
their  husbands,  the  evenings  were  spent  in  lamenta- 
tions and  melancholy  religious  exercises.  Only  a  few 
days  before,  in  the  midst  of  the  chant  bewailing  their 
disappointment,  the  three  old  women  burst  in  upon 
them  with  the  prophecy  that  the  gods  were  sending 
them  husbands  of  the  noblest  race  in  the  world.  The 
prophecies  of  the  old  women  were  not  in  good  repute 
and  they  were  not  believed,  but  now  it  was  seen  that 
they  had  indeed  been  spoken  to  by  the  gods. 

The  lost  and  wretched  Spaniards  were  not  loth  to 
accept  the  gracious  invitation,  especially  since  their 
eager  eyes  had  not  only  devoured  the  beauty  of  the 
prospective  wives,  but  had  observed  that  there  were 
golden  ornaments  in  such  abundance  as  had  been  seen 
nowhere  by  them  since  the  day  of  spoils  at  Caxamalca 
and  Cuzco. 

What  afterward  befell  this  paradise  is  not  known, 
since  Diego  de  Bonilla,  when  he  deserted  the  colony 
and  went  back  to  Spain  with  seven  llama  loads  of 
gold,  discreetly  remained  silent  on  the  subsequent  his- 
tory. He  boasted  a  great  deal  of  how  he  had  drilled 
the  women  to  throw  the  lance  and  help  the  new  hus- 
bands to  beat  ofif  the  angry  fathers  of  the  adjoining 


U  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

tribes.  It  became  the  belief  in  Spain  that  this  capture 
of  the  paradise  was  the  cause  of  the  confederation  of 
natives  which  succeeded  in  the  final  destruction  of  all 
the  Spaniards  east  of  the  Andes.  It  was  also  believed 
that  Diego  de  Bonilla  came  to  Spain  on  a  special  mis- 
sion from  his  comrades,  but  basely  deserted  them  with 
all  the  gold. 

The  Cascarilleros,  or  Peruvian  bark-hunters,  con- 
tinued through  several  years  to  describe  in  glowing 
terms  their  contact  with  this  strange  Spanish-Indian 
tribe,  and  it  is  said  that  a  great  heap  of  ruins  is  still 
pointed  out  as  the  paradise  of  the  amazons. 


MERIDA 

RESURRECTION    OF   A    SENSATION   IN    HISTORY 

Americans,  having  invested  extensively  in  Spanish 
territory,  are  becoming  more  and  more  interested  in 
the  resources  of  the  vast  lands  to  the  south.  Com- 
merce may  find  there  an  inviting  field,  but  tO'  none 
can  it  be  more  captivating  than  to  the  lover  of 
romance.  If  there  is  anything  in  which  the  Spaniard 
has  always  excelled,  it  is  in  finding  material  for  the 
most  romantic  fiction  and  then  living  it  out  in  his 
career.  If  a  number  of  men  were  shipwrecked  on  a 
desert  island,  they  would  proceed  at  once  to  divide 
into  factions  and  then  to  conduct  themselves,  as  long 
as  they  lived,  in  a  manner  that  would  make  a  popular 
melodrama  for  the  American  stage.  But  the  common 
adventurers  were  not  alone  the  romance-makers  of 
the  New  World.  Every  great  discoverer,  explorer 
and  conqueror,  was  involved  in  some  way  with  dra- 
matic incidents  and  episodes  more  worthy  of  the  nov- 
elist than  the  historian. 

Even  the  first  great  navigator  was  not  exempt.  In 
the  voluminous  records  concerning  him,  many  of 
which  have  never  been  published,  there  are  vague  ref- 
erences to  stories  that  would  make  highly  interesting 
reading.  One  of  the  best  of  these  has,  for  many  gen- 
erations, been  a  household  legend  among  the  peasants 
of  Moorish  Spain,  but  it  is  now  fast  being  lost  under 

35 


36  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

the  flow  of  modern  interests.  A  stranger  would 
doubtless  be  unable  to  glean  enough  of  the  details  to 
get  a  clear  understanding  of  the  marvelous  devotion 
that  led  to  such  a  tragic  career  and  fate  as  that  of 
Merida.  Her  story,  as  gathered  from  scattered  and 
indefinite  sources,  is  without  a  parallel  in  history.  We 
are  assured  that  it  would  have  made  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  pages  in  the  history  of  Columbus,  if  it 
had  not  been  suppressed  by  the  order  of  Father  Perez 
of  La  Rabida  and  the  reverend  Bishop  Bobadilla  of 
the  cathedral  of  Seville,  in  the  fear  that  a  scandal  might 
arise  which  would  cast  reflections  upon  the  Church. 
Such  were  the  extraordinary  means  used  to  promote 
the  discovery  of  the  New  World  and  such  was  the 
remarkable  origin  of  one  of  the  world's  unknown 
heroines.  If  the  story  is  true,  we  are  led  to  ask,  was 
the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus  in  1492  due 
to  an  ecclesiastical  trick,  or  were  the  sovereigns  of 
Spain  influenced  by  divine  inspiration  through  the 
strange  medium  of  a  Moorish  Christian  girl? 

Late  in  the  autumn  of  1491,  a  princely  retinue  filed 
out  of  the  little  seaport  of  Palos  de  Moguer  in  Anda- 
lusia, on  the  way  to  take  part  in  the  glorious  cere- 
monies in  preparation  for  the  impending  fall  of  Gra- 
nada. At  the  convent  of  Franciscan  friars,  dedicated 
to  Santa  Maria  de  Rabida,  the  riders  stopped  and 
asked  for  a  drink  of  water  from  the  clear,  cold  well 
of  the  convent.  Soon  after  their  arrival,  the  prior, 
Juan  Perez,  came  out  with  a  distinguished  looking 
stranger  not  habited  as  the  friars.  One  of  the  horse- 
men, Martin  Alonzo  Pinzon,  sprang  to  the  ground, 
and  advanced  to  greet  them  with  cordial  deference. 


MERIDA  37 

After  a  few  words,  the  three  men  went  to  the  shade  of 
a  tree  near  by,  where  Dofia  Beatriz  de  Bobadilla, 
Marchioness  of  Moya,  sat  on  a  rude  bench  awaiting 
them.  A  short  but  earnest  conference  ensued,  after 
which  the  three  men  moved  away.  Dofia  Beatriz  was 
thus  left  alone  for  a  moment,  when  a  young  girl  in 
peasant  dress,  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity, 
stepped  from  behind  the  great  pine  tree  and  fell  on 
her  knees  before  the  favorite  companion  of  Queen 
Isabella. 

"Noble  lady,  do  not  be  frightened  at  my  strange 
conduct,"  she  whispered,  in  great  agitation.  "I  have 
visions,  visions  of  a  mission  I  must  perform  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  Holy  Church.  Take  me  with 
you  to  the  Queen  and  let  me  tell  her  that  if  she  will 
obey  the  holy  voice  that  speaks  to  me,  her  name  will 
be  imperishable  in  honor,  countless  times  more  glori- 
ous than  for  her  great  victory  over  the  Moors." 

At  this  moment  Friar  Perez  approached,  and,  lay- 
ing his  hand  upon  her  head,  said :  "Merida,  my  child, 
you  here  with  your  visions  again?" 

She  arose  with  the  conscious  dignity  of  one  with 
a  divine  mission  and  replied  fervently,  "Father,  my 
voice  has  brought  me  here  and  I  cannot  leave  until 
a  way  is  made  for  me  to  tell  my  story  to  the  Queen !" 

Meanwhile,  the  Marchioness  surveyed  her  singular 
supplicant  with  searching  interest.  The  physical  per- 
fection of  the  Moorish  Andalusian  pleased  her,  and 
the  simple  garb  of  the  peasant  rather  enhanced  the 
religious  fervor  that  glowed  in  the  young  messenger's 
earnest  face.  Most  of  the  cavalcade  were  remounting 
their  horses,  when  the  learned  physician,  Garcia  Fer- 


38  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

nandez,  approached  arm  in  arm  with  the  great 
stranger,  whose  eyes  were  downcast  and  despondent. 
The  peasant  girl  was  standing  with  her  back  to  the 
men,  but  she  turned  at  the  sound  of  their  steps  and 
looked  with  glowing  admiration  into  the  inspiring 
countenance  of  the  one  to  whom  the  others  were  giv- 
ing such  marked  attention. 

With  a  courtesy  she  took  a  step  toward  him  and 
spoke  in  a  tone  so  resonant  with  reverent  feeling  that 
with  her  first  words  the  entire  company  and  a  score 
or  more  of  the  Franciscan  friars  gathered  around  as 
curious  listeners. 

*'Christoval  Colon,  as  an  humble  medium  of  heaven 
I  am  inspired  to  tell  you  not  to  despair  before  the 
dawn  of  the  glorious  achievements  just  before  you. 
I  see  you  traversing  an  ocean  wide  and  long  as  a 
thousand  years,  toward  the  broken  cross  of  a  mighty 
continent,  on  which  there  are  countless  millions  living 
in  universal  darkness.  A  new  Canaan,  wide  and  long 
as  the  ocean,  you  will  give  to  the  conquering  sons  of 
Spain,  and  the  holy  men  of  this  and  other  Christian 
lands,  will  add  another  world  to  the  glory  of  God. 
In  a  few  weeks  the  fate  of  the  Moors  will  be  sealed 
and  the  victors  will  be  more  easily  turned  from  the 
glories  of  war  to  the  greater  glories  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom.  But  first  another  royal  hearing  must  be 
secured,  and  I  can  carry  such  conviction  to  our  gra- 
cious Queen  that  she  will  make  sure  our  glorious 
cause." 

An  impatient  signal  from  the  leader  of  the  gayly 
caparisoned  train  was  sounded,  a  hurried  conference 
took  place,  and  it  was  then  decided  to  send  Sebastian 


MERIDA  41 

Rodriguez,  the  shrewd  pilot  of  Lepe,  to  Santa  Fe  with 
a  letter  from  the  learned  prior  addressed  to  the  spir- 
itual emotions  of  the  devoted  Queen,  strongly  urging 
another  interview  for  a  more  comprehensive  consid- 
eration of  the  great  evangelical  crusade  proposed  by 
Christoval  Colon. 

Meantime,  the  Marchioness  spoke  a  few  words  to 
Merida,  and  kindly  dismissed  her,  when  the  great  dis- 
coverer took  the  peasant  girl's  hands  in  his  and  kissed 
them.  In  a  few  minutes  the  cavalcade  swept  away, 
and  Merida,  with  bowed  head,  walked  down  the  hill 
and  across  the  fields  toward  her  cottage  home. 

Within  the  week  Sebastian  Rodriguez  started  on 
his  mission  and  fourteen  days  later  returned  with  a 
letter  from  Queen  Isabella  requesting  Prior  Perez  to 
come  at  once  to  the  court.  The  enthusiastic  friar  did 
not  wait  for  the  coming  day,  but  saddled  his  mule  and 
set  out  for  Santa  Fe  at  midnight.  He  rode  on  through 
the  newly  conquered  territory  of  the  Moors,  and, 
arriving  at  Santa  Fe,  soon  gained  an  opportunity  to 
plead  the  cause  of  Columbus.  As  a  result  it  was  but 
a  few  days  until  a  sum  equivalent  to  two  hundred  and 
sixteen  dollars  was  in  the  hands  of  the  physician,  Gar- 
cia Fernandez,  to  be  expended  in  procuring  for  the 
prescient  navigator  suitable  clothing  in  which  to 
appear  respectfully  at  court  and  pay  his  expenses  on 
the  way. 

It  was  in  January  of  1492  when  Columbus  reached 
Santa  Fe.  Granada  had  fallen,  and  an  eight  hundred 
years'  struggle  between  the  Cross  and  the  Crescent 
was  ended  with  the  triumph  of  the  Cross.  Vast  crowds 
of  people,  wild  with  religious  and  patriotic  emotion, 


42  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

thronged  the  streets  and  pubHc  places  at  all  times  of 
the  day  and  night.  Fawning  courtiers  and  importun- 
ing applicants  occupied  the  time  of  the  sovereigns, 
and  the  sublime  dreams  of  Columbus  were  compelled 
to  wait  for  the  petty  ambitions  of  court  favorites.  In 
the  midst  of  this  magnificent  vanity  and  pomp,  he 
had  the  friendly  encouragement  of  Father  Perez  and 
Doiia  Beatriz  of  Moya,  but  his  spirits  sank  with  the 
seemingly  interminable  delay.  Several  times  he  had 
withdrawn  from  the  boisterous  crowds  and  sat  down 
in  obscure  places  to  ponder  undisturbed  over  his  for- 
tunes and  his  plans.  In  nearly  every  instance,  in  the 
midst  of  his  reveries,  he  had  heard  a  voice  clear  and 
pure,  like  none  he  had  ever  heard  except  that  of  the 
peasant  girl  at  La  Rabida,  saying  always  the  same 
words,  'Tear  not,  fail  not.    Your  monitor  abides." 

That  some  encouraging  friend  was  following  him 
in  accordance  with  the  peculiar  superstition  and 
religious  spirit  of  the  age,  did  not  disturb  him  or 
awaken  his  curiosity.  However,  he  heeded  certain 
warnings  and  recognized  timely  advice  from  the  mys- 
terious voice. 

When  Fernando  de  Talavera  was  made  archbishop 
of  Granada,  a  note  was  slipped  into  the  hands  of 
Columbus,  advising  him  that  the  learned  prelate 
would  soon  open  negotiations  for  Columbus  to  lead 
the  proposed  expedition,  but  would  attempt  to  have 
him  be  a  mere  subordinate  with  but  little  share  in  any 
booty  or  glory. 

"Know  this  and  yield  not,"  the  warning  read,  "that 
the  grandeur  and  glory  of  your  coming  gift  to  the 
Church  and  the  world  must  not  be  dimmed  by  the 


MERIDA  43 

leader  being-  less  than  high  admiral  and  viceroy  over 
all  lands  and  people  within  the  sphere  of  discovery." 

The  princely  courtiers  and  proud  church  dignitaries 
were  shocked  and  indignant  that  a  penniless  suppli- 
cant should  ask  for  such  a  position  of  distinction  and 
dignity,  much  less  to  remain  immovable  in  the 
demand.  After  exhausting  all  their  resources  of  per- 
suasion and  indignation,  a  final  meeting  was  arranged 
for  between  Columbus  and  the  royal  councilors. 
Doiia  Beatriz,  Marchioness  of  Moya,  brought  her 
strongest  influence  to  bear  to  have  them  accept  the 
proffered  terms,  but  the  archbishop  Fernando  de  Tal- 
avera  easily  won  the  councilors  by  showing  the  injus- 
tice of  lavishing  such  distinguished  honors  upon  an 
impoverished,  dreaming  speculator  of  foreign  birth, 
who  would  more  Hkely  bring  only  ridicule  to  the  court 
of  Spain  for  such  gross  credulity.  The  meeting  came 
to  naught;  and,  notwithstanding  the  encouraging 
assurances  that  were  spoken  to  him  by  the  unseen 
monitor,  Columbus  mounted  his  mule  and  set  out  for 
Cordova  on  his  way  to  the  court  of  France. 

Meantime,  a  more  consequential  meeting  took  place 
in  the  private  audience  room  of  the  Queen  of  Castile. 
The  beautiful  and  sagacious  Marchioness  of  Moya 
had  hastily  summoned  to  Santa  Fe  the  ardent  friend 
of  the  great  enterprise,  Luis  de  St.  Angel,  who  was 
receiver  of  the  ecclesiastical  funds  of  Arragon.  A 
conference  was  held  in  her  private  parlor.  Only  those 
who  had  most  influence  with  the  sovereigns  of  Arra- 
gon and  Castile  were  present.  With  Columbus  on  his 
way  to  France  and  the  immediate  advisers  of  the 
King  and  Queen  all  hostile,  the  case  seemed  hopeless 


44  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

to  the  little  council  of  friends.  The  Marchioness  of 
Moya  opened  the  door  of  an  adjoining  room  and  pre- 
sented a  stranger  to  the  despairing  conference. 

"Do  not  be  astonished,"  she  said,  seating  her 
charge  before  them,  "at  the  presence  of  this  simple 
peasant  girl  in  the  garb  of  her  rude  home.  The 
Almighty  Ruler  employs  many  inscrutable  ways 
through  which  to  bring  about  voluntary  obedience  to 
His  will,  and  not  the  least  of  them  is  the  inspiration 
and  presence  of  this  girl  of  Palos  de  Moguer.  Let 
her  speak  for  herself." 

Without  further  adjuration,  the  peasant  girl  began 
to  pour  forth  such  a  fervent  and  eloquent  stream  of 
brilliant  visions  concerning  the  creatures  of  God  and 
the  lands  of  the  world  beyond  the  seas,  that  the  little 
assembly  of  learned  men  and  women  were  breathless 
and  speechless  with  mingled  emotions  of  superstition 
and  religious  rapture. 

It  has  been  hinted  that  this  Moorish  peasant  girl  of 
Palos  was  not  the  inspired  medium  of  the  saints,  but 
rather  the  trained  instrument  of  the  Palos  physician, 
Garcia  Fernandez,  taken  in  charge  by  the  March- 
ioness of  Moya  to  use  as  a  religious  influence,  more 
powerful  than  argument,  upon  the  emotional  coun- 
cilors and  rulers.  It  has  been  irreverently  suggested 
that  this  fact  was  told  to  her  confessor  at  the  time  of 
her  tragic  death,  thus  keeping  the  name  of  the  peasant 
girl  Merida  from  the  records,  robbing  the  world  of 
a  heroine,  and  keeping  her  name  from  the  calendar  of 
the  saints. 

Nevertheless,  at  the  end  of  Merida's  story,  the  lis- 


MERIDA  45 

teners  were  ablaze  with  zeal  for  the  spread  of  the 
Church  and  the  glory  of  Spain  beyond  the  sea. 

Luis  de  St.  Angel  sought  immediate  audience  with 
the  Queen  of  Castile.  He  was  accompanied  by  the 
learned  Alonzo  de  Quintanilla,  and  was  at  once 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  Isabella.  Then  ensued 
one  of  the  most  passionate  harangues  that  ever  fell 
from  the  lips  of  a  man  aroused  to  frenzy  for  the  exalta- 
tion and  glory  of  his  country  and  church.  He  warned, 
reproached,  and  entreated;  he  argued  vehemently 
from  scripture  and  science,  and  then  in  solemn  adjura- 
tion advised  her  that  an  undoubted  voice  had  come 
direct  from  God.  The  Marchioness  of  Moya  was  at 
hand  with  the  inspired  Merida,  and  the  Queen  with 
glowing  eagerness  heard  the  rapturous  story  of  the 
visions  that  foretold  surpassing  glory  for  Spain.  She 
at  once  sent  for  the  King  and  laid  before  him  the  new 
evidence.  But  he  listened  coldly.  How  could  he 
engage  in  such  a  doubtful  enterprise  when  his  treasury 
was  exhausted  with  his  long  Moorish  war? 

There  was  a  moment  of  profound  suspense,  when 
the  immortal  exclamation  broke  forth :  "I  undertake 
the  enterprise  for  my  own  crown  of  Castile,  and  I  will 
pledge  my  jewels  to  raise  the  necessary  funds." 

St.  Angel,  in  exultant  joy,  immediately  dispatched 
a  messenger  to  overtake  the  departing  navigator. 
About  six  miles  from  Granada,  the  courier  came  upon 
the  lonely  traveler  crossing  the  bridge  of  Pinos  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Elvira.  It  was  with  great  difificulty  that 
the  doubting  man  could  be  made  to  believe  that  his 
eighteen  weary  years  of  waiting  and  pleading  at  the 


46  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

courts  of  kings  was  now  at  an  end.  But  such  a  mes- 
sage from  St.  Angel  and  Dofia  Beatriz  was  not  to  be 
ignored  and  he  turned  his  mule's  head  once  more 
toward  the  kingly  court  at  Santa  Fe. 

An  agreement  was  soon  effected  and  St.  Angel 
advanced  the  necessary  funds  from  the  ecclesiastical 
coffers  of  Arragon.  A  few  years  later,  in  return  for 
this  loan,  some  of  the  first  gold  brought  from  the  New 
World  by  Columbus  was  used  to  gild  the  v/alls  of  the 
royal  saloon  in  the  Saragoza  palace,  formerly  the  Alja- 
feria  of  the  Moorish  kings. 

A  distressing  period  of  preparation  ensued.  Sailors 
could  not  be  found  who  were  willing  to  face  the  ter- 
rors of  unknown  seas  against  all  the  superstitions 
of  the  age.  The  scientific  men  furnished  ridicule  with 
which  the  demagogues  made  those  sailors  who  were 
willing  to  go  appear  as  a  laughing  stock  to  all  their 
friends,  while  ecclesiastics  inveighed  against  the  enter- 
prise as  sacrilegious,  until  even  the  coercive  measures 
resorted  to  by  the  King  failed  to  secure  or  hold  men 
in  the  service  of  the  visionary  foreigner.  Then  the 
wealthy  and  influential  Pinzons  of  Palos  came  forward 
and  offered  to  furnish  one  completely  equipped  ves- 
sel. This  was  accepted  and  the  King  ordered  the 
seizure  of  such  other  vessels,  crews  and  equipments 
as  would  complete  the  armament.  All  the  world 
knows  of  the  great  voyage  that  followed,  but  only  the 
peasants  of  Andalusia  have  retained  in  their  household 
stories  the  legend  that  it  was  Merida  who  influenced 
the  Pinzons  to  their  decisive  step  through  the  miracu- 
lous visions  which  she  revealed  to  them. 

Among   the    crews   there   were   many    who   had 


MERIDA  41 

shipped  as  sailors  merely  in  reckless  bravado,  against 
the  raillery  and  bantering  jests  of  friends.  These  were 
mostly  beardless  youths  of  the  lower  aristocracy, 
whose  adventurous  spirits  lived  chiefly  on  excitement. 
In  the  anxious  days  early  in  October,  when  the  sight 
of  land  w^as  momentarily  expected,  these  irresponsible 
and  mercurial  novices  of  the  sea  were  the  ones  to  be 
thrown  into  the  greatest  raptures  at  the  cry  of  land, 
and  were  the  most  ungovernable  and  rebellious  at 
every  disappointment. 

On  board  the  Santa  Maria  there  was  an  obscure, 
common  sailor,  known  as  Juan  Marido,  who'  attained 
considerable  influence  over  his  comrades  because  of 
the  unwavering  serenity  of  his  faith  and  his  timely, 
fitting  counsel.  Often  a  word  from  him  quieted  the 
fears  of  the  superstitious,  and  a  look  of  the  unobtru- 
sive youth  made  the  turbulent  less  violent  in  their 
unreasoning  passions. 

The  mysterious  voice  that  had  cheered  the  great 
admiral  at  Santa  Fe  when  he  was  pleading  his  cause 
at  the  royal  court,  was  still  with  him  through  the 
perilous  hours  just  before  the  dawn  of  his  mighty 
triumph.  Through  innumerable  ways,  someone, 
unknown,  kept  him  fully  informed  of  every  word  or 
act  that  threatened  or  affected  his  interests.  Such  was 
his  knowledge  of  afifairs  about  him  that  the  belief  grew 
among  the  turbulent  men  that  the  admiral  was  a 
wizard.  The  most  absurd  stories  that  he  was  taking 
the  entire  squadron  by  diabolical  contract  direct  to  the 
dominions  of  Satan,  became  current  morsels  of  gossip. 

On  October  8th  and  9th,  the  mutinous  portions  of 
the  crew  became  united  and  a  plot  was  laid  to  force  the 


4S  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

commander  into  a  quarrel.  A  riot  was  to  ensue  in 
which  the  admiral  would  as  if  by  accident  be  thrown 
overboard.  In  this  desperate  situation,  after  all  expe- 
dients had  failed  to  satisfy  the  dangerous  malcontents, 
from  some  unknown  source  came  the  compromising 
promise  that  if  land  were  not  discovered  in  three  days, 
the  expedition  would  be  abandoned  and  all  would  turn 
about  and  set  sail  for  Spain.  Juan  Marido  was  active 
in  persuading  his  companions  to  be  satisfied  with  this 
promise,  and  the  proposed  mutiny  was  thus  averted. 

Some  claim  that  Perez  Matheo,  one  of  the  pilots, 
told  this  story  to  Oviedo,  the  historian,  who,  not 
doubting  that  Columbus  had  been  thus  weak  willed, 
made  it  a  part  of  history,  although  no  other  writer  of 
that  time  gave  it  the  least  credence  or  support.  How- 
ever, within  the  stipulated  period  land  was  reached 
and  Columbus  became  one  of  the  greatest  heroes  of 
all  time. 

With  the  triumphant  return  of  the  great  navigator, 
and  his  magnificent  reception  in  Spain,  began  the 
intrigue  and  persecution  that  finally  resulted  in  send- 
ing Don  Francisco  de  Bobadilla  to  be  his  judge  and 
successor  in  Hispaniola.  Armed  with  extraordinary 
powers,  this  representative  of  the  King  set  sail  with 
two  caravels  and  arrived  at  San  Domingo  August  23, 
1500.  Columbus  was  then  at  Fort  Conception, 
endeavoring  to  bring  the  lawless  colonists  and  soldiers 
of  Hispaniola  to  order.  Bobadilla  assumed  control  at 
once  and  made  all  the  malcontents  of  the  island  his 
immediate  counselors  and  friends.  The  exaggerated 
testimony  of  every  seditious  and  factious  subject  who 
could  say  anything  evil  of  Columbus  was  taken  with 


MERIDA  49 

greedy  unction,  and  the  community  became  a  caul- 
dron of  turmoil. 

At  the  first  morning  mass  after  the  arrival  of  Boba- 
dilla,  while  the  people  were  assembled  about  the 
church,  Bobadilla  ordered  his  royal  patents  to  be  read, 
showing  his  absolute  authority,  and  he  boasted  that 
Columbus  would  not  only  be  sent  home  in  chains,  but 
that  neither  he  nor  his  lineage  would  ever  govern 
there  again. 

In  the  midst  of  the  excited  throng  a  voice  cried  out : 
"Woe!  woe!  to  the  unjust  judge!"  Bobadilla  was 
furious,  but  the  bold  accuser  could  not  be  found. 

When  Columbus  arrived  at  the  town  of  San  Domin- 
go, it  was  ordered  that  irons  at  once  be  placed  upon 
him,  and  he  was  confined  on  a  caravel  in  the  bay.  The 
charges  which  were  drawn  up  against  him  were  pre- 
posterous, even  for  that  ignorant  and  bigoted  age,  but 
they  were  witnessed  and  signed  by  every  one  who 
had  been  offended  by  his  impartial  discipline,  or  who 
hoped  thereby  to  gain  favor  with  Bobadilla.  In  the 
midst  of  this  infamous  court  the  clear  cry  again  arose : 
"Woe!  woe!  to  the  unjust  judge!"  The  indignant 
commander  ordered  diligent  search  to  be  made  for 
the  malefactor,  but  he  could  not  be  found. 

With  this  overwhelming  documentary  evidence  of 
oppression,  sacrilege,  fraud,  incompetence,  and  trea- 
son to  the  King,  Columbus  and  his  two  brothers, 
Diego  and  Bartholomew,  were  sent  to  Spain  for  trial. 

Among  the  passengers  on  the  returning  vessels 
were  several  sailors  who  had  been  with  the  admiral  on 
each  of  his  three  voyages,  and  they  looked  with  horror 
on  his  treatment.     One  of  them  was  Juan  Marido, 


50  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

who  prevailed  upon  the  kindly  disposed  Villejo,  in 
whose  care  the  prisoners  had  been  placed,  to  allow 
him  to  wait  upon  the  afflicted  discoverer.  The  droop- 
ing spirits  of  the  great  prisoner  greatly  revived  by  the 
inspiring  attention  of  this  common  sailor,  but  he 
would  not  allow  the  sympathy  of  friends  to  remove 
from  him  any  of  the  evidences  of  his  sovereign's  dis- 
pleasure and  ingratitude. 

When  they  arrived  at  Cadiz  and  the  facts  became 
known,  a  great  wave  of  indignation  swept  over  Spain, 
and  Juan  Marido  carried  a  long  letter  written  by 
Columbus  to  Dofia  Juana  de  la  Torre,  who  was  the 
aya  or  governess  of  Prince  Juan,  and  then  the  favorite 
of  Queen  Isabella.  In  this  he  explained  the  charges 
against  him  and  described  the  treatment  he  had 
received. 

Isabella  was  deeply  pained  at  the  injustice  done  the 
illustrious  man.  The  two  sovereigns  wrote  him  an 
afifectionate  letter  and  ordered  his  immediate  release. 
Eight  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  were  sent  to  him 
for  his  expenses,  and  he  was  invited  to  come  at  once 
to  visit  the  royal  court,  then  at  Granada,  where  he  was 
received  with  all  his  former  distinction. 

More  than  a  year  of  weary  waiting  for  the  restora- 
tion of  rights  and  privileges  ensued,  with  nothing  done 
but  to  recall  Bobadilla  and  replace  him  by  Nicholas 
de  Ovando. 

In  the  meantime,  the  peasants  of  Palos  were  sur- 
prised at  the  return  of  Merida,  who  had  not  been  seen 
among  them  since  she  went  ten  years  before  to  Santa 
Fe  to  set  her  mysterious  visions  before  the  Queen. 
She  was  in  frequent  communication  with  Juan  Perez 


MERIDA  51 

and  the  physician  Garcia  Fernandez,  the  first  friends 
and  patrons  of  Columbus.  They  visited  the  March- 
ioness of  Moya  and  held  a  conference  with  Isabella  at 
Granada.  The  visions  of  Merida  were  against  Colum- 
bus making  another  voyage.  They  showed  nothing 
but  suffering  and  peril.  The  admiral  was  past  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  his  friends  did  not  believe  he 
could  survive  the  hardships  of  another  expedition. 
Every  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  to  dissuade  him 
from  his  purpose.  The  religious  inspirations  of 
Merida  that  had  been  so  potent  to  help  him  to  his 
first  voyage  were  now  as  strongly  used  to  turn  him 
from  the  last.  Nothing  could  avail  against  the  cour- 
age and  resolution  of  the  old  navigator.  His  friends 
sorrowfully  saw  him  depart,  as  they  believed,  never  to 
return. 

On  June  29th,  Columbus  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  off  San  Domingo,  Hispaniola.  Pedro  de  Ter- 
reros,  captain  of  one  of  the  caravels,  was  sent  to  the 
new  governor,  Ovando,  to  ask  permission  to  enter  the 
harbor  for  shelter  from  an  approaching  storm. 
Ovando  refused,  and  Columbus  protected  himself  as 
much  as  he  could  by  anchoring  as  securely  as  possible 
behind  a  promontory.  Finding  that  Bobadilla  and 
several  others  of  his  implacable  enemies  were  about  to 
set  sail  for  Spain,  he  implored  them  not  to  leave  the 
harbor  until  an  approaching  storm  had  passed;  but, 
as  they  could  see  no  signs  of  the  predicted  tempest, 
they  scornfully  rejected  his  warnings  and  sailed  out 
into  the  open  sea.  Hardly  had  they  left  the  bay,  when 
a  furious  hurricane  burst  upon  them.  The  two  ves- 
sels containing  the  admiral's  wretched  foes  went  down 


52  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

with  all  their  ill-gotten  gain,  and  the  others  were  so 
shattered  as  to  be  unseaworthy,  excepting  the  one 
containing  the  confiscated  property  of  Columbus, 
which  pursued  its  way  safely  to  Spain. 

Denied  entrance  to  ports  over  which  his  sovereigns 
had  solemnly  agreed  to  give  him  and  his  lineage  for- 
ever the  vice-regal  control,  Columbus  steered  west- 
ward, arriving  at  the  mainland  near  Cape  Honduras. 
Nothing  but  ill  wind,  misfortune  and  disaster  ensued, 
until  they  reached  the  Gulf  of  Darien,  when  the  dis- 
heartened crew  with  their  battered  ships  turned  back. 
Storms  continued  to  beat  upon  the  unseaworthy  ves- 
sels; and,  barely  able  to  keep  afloat,  they  put  into  Dry 
Harbor,  Jamaica,  on  St.  John's  day,  June  23d.  But, 
being  unable  to  procure  food,  they  sailed  on  east- 
ward a  few  leagues  exhausted  and  almost  dying, 
to  the  next  small  bay,  where  the  sinking  vessels 
were  run  aground  close  together.  They  were  lashed 
to  one  another,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  make  of 
them  a  safe  retreat  from  the  savages  that  thronged 
the  shore,  as  well  as  from  the  storms  and  pitiless  sea. 
Here,  broken  by  age,  racked  with  pain,  and  con- 
fined to  his  rude  bed  in  the  half-sunken  vessel  that  any 
hour  might  go  to  pieces  or  be  destroyed  by  the  un- 
trustworthy savages,  the  intrepid  admiral,  his  brother 
Bartholomew,  and  young  son  Fernando,  fought  their 
last  battle  with  death  in  the  New  World. 

The  only  hope  lay  in  help  from  Ovando,  who  had 
refused  him  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  San  Domingo. 
But  many  miles  of  treacherous  seas  lay  between  him 
and  the  nearest  civilized  men,  and  the  best  means 
available  for  so  perilous  a  voyage  by  a  messenger,  was 


MERIDA  53 

the  rude  canoe  of  the  natives.  The  task  seemed 
impossible,  but  famine  was  imminent  and  any  delay 
might  mean  the  destruction  of  all.  Some  men  with 
the  required  self-sacrifice  and  courage  were  found,  and 
Columbus  wrote  his  appeal  for  help.  In  a  letter 
addressed  to  his  sovereigns,  he  said:  "Hitherto,  I 
have  wept  for  others;  but  now,  have  pity  upon  me,  O 
Heaven,  and  weep  for  me,  O  earth!  Weep  for  me 
whoever  has  charity,  truth  and  justice !" 

Days  of  weary  waiting  passed,  and  there  was  time 
enough  for  the  messengers  to  have  returned  with  help, 
but  none  came.  In  the  common  distress  there  were 
no  spiritual  advisers  to  infuse  patience  into  the 
despondent  men,  or  to  hold  them  to  obedience 
through  religious  fears,  as  the  priests,  who  had  started 
out  with  them,  went  ashore  at  San  Domingo  and  had 
refused  to  proceed  further.  But  there  was  a  young 
man  on  board  who  had  been  with  the  stricken  admiral 
on  every  voyage,  and  who  had  saved  his  life  frequently 
through  the  most  devoted  and  providential  care.  This 
young  sailor,  Juan  Marido,  passed  among  the  dis- 
contented men  like  a  soothing  angel  and  quietly 
removed  many  of  the  irritations  and  rebellious  ideas 
that  fermented  among  the  turbulent  and  feverish  pris- 
oners of  the  unwholesome  wrecks.  Every  device  was 
used  to  keep  the  riotous  malcontents  in  order.  Their 
superstitious  fears  were  for  a  long  time  influenced  by 
marvelous  visions  that  Juan  Marido  related  to  them 
with  thrilling  eloquence,  and  there  were  mysterious 
voices  as  they  sat  about  the  decks  at  night,  warning 
them  that  disobedience  to  their  commander  meant 
destruction.     Nevertheless,  there  came  a  time  when 


54  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

the  lawless  could  no  longer  be  restrained.  January  2, 
1504,  Francisco  de  Porras  broke  into  the  admiral's 
room,  and,  in  a  loud  voice,  accused  him  of  keeping 
the  crews  there  in  order  to  see  them  perish.  The 
mutineer  declared  that  Columbus  had  no  intention 
of  ever  returning  to  Spain.  Reason  and  persuasion 
availed  nothing,  and  with  the  cry,  'To  Castile!  to 
Castile!"  the  twoi  Porras  brothers  headed  a  mutiny 
of  forty-eight  of  the  strongest  though  most  vicious 
men.  Most  of  those  who  remained  were  helplessly 
sick,  and  the  condition  of  the  faithful  ones  seemed 
beyond  hope.  But,  however  bad  their  situation,  that 
of  the  deserters  became  worse.  They  rowed  away  in 
the  canoes  so  laboriously  secured  by  Columbus,  and 
set  out  for  Hispaniola.  The  boisterous  sea  buffeted 
them  back,  and  they  tried  again,  with  such  results 
that  they  concluded  to  abandon  the  attempt  and  to 
live  by  forage  upon  the  natives.  Like  a  pestilence 
they  ranged  through  the  island — destroying,  robbing 
and  slaying  wherever  they  went — so  that  all  supplies 
were  cut  off  from  the  sick  and  despairing  companions 
of  the  admiral.  During  this  time  Juan  Marido  was 
the  only  one  who  could  go  among  the  natives  and 
secure  the  food  that  kept  starvation  away.  His  pious 
ministrations  made  them  look  upon  him  as  a  saint. 

After  eight  months  of  indescribable  anxiety  for  the 
fate  of  the  courageous  messengers  to  Hispaniola,  a 
sail  was  seen  late  one  evening  coming  into  the  har- 
bor. The  despairing  sailors  were  transported  with 
delight  at  the  sudden  hope  of  immediate  delivery. 
The  ship  was  from  Ovando.    It  came  alongside  and 


MERIDA  55 

hastily  delivered  a  letter,  a  cask  of  wine,  and  a  side 
of  bacon.  Then  the  commander,  Diego  de  Escobar, 
who  had  been  one  of  the  most  virulent  enemies  of 
Columbus,  withdrew  to  a  distance  and  expressed  sor- 
row at  the  admiral's  sore  misfortunes.  He  offered  to 
carry  a  letter  to  the  Governor  of  Hispaniola,  and 
Columbus  hastened  to  write,  imploring  immediate 
help.  Upon  receiving  the  letter,  Escobar  at  once 
hoisted  sail  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness  of  the 
same  night.  As  distressing  as  this  was  to  the  mis- 
erable sufferers,  it  brought  the  confidence  that  their 
deplorable  condition  being  known  their  speedy  rescue 
must  follow. 

Juan  Marido,  in  the  kindness  of  his  heart,  obtained 
leave  to  go  with  a  trusted  companion  to  the  lawless 
wretches  who  were  still  terrorizing  the  villages  of 
the  interior,  in  an  attempt  to  restore  them  once 
more  to  order.  A  piece  of  the  side  of  bacon  was  taken 
along  as  indisputable  evidence  that  Escobar  had  vis- 
ited the  wrecks.  Unconditional  pardon  was  offered 
if  the  miscreants  would  at  once  return  to  obedience. 
Juan  Marido  and  his  companion  had  no  difficulty  in 
finding  the  marauders,  but  the  overtures  were  scorn- 
fully rejected.  Francisco  de  Porras  assured  the  two 
peacemakers  that  his  men  were  the  lawful  body  and 
authority  of  the  expedition,  and  that  if  any  provisions 
had  been  sent  in  relief,  his  men  must  have  them, 
either  peaceably  or  by  force  of  arms.  The  opinion, 
however,  prevailed  among  the  deserters,  and  was 
freely  expressed,  that  if  a  relieving  caravel  had 
appeared,  it  was  in  truth  only  a  phantom  conjured 


56  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

up  by  the  Italian  wizard  to  deceive  his  confiding 
dupes,  in  whose  suffering  he  was  taking  Satanic  pleas- 
ure, and  which  he  wished  to  heighten  by  false  hope. 
The  messengers  sorrowfully  returned  and  reported 
the  new  danger  threatening  them.  In  a  few  days 
their  fears  were  verified  by  the  report  of  a  friendly 
Indian  that  the  deserters  were  at  the  village  Maima, 
near  the  harbor  now  known  as  Mammee  Bay,  about 
a  mile  away.  Juan  Marido  went  again  to  persuade 
them  to  return  to  their  allegiance  and  to  abandon 
their  unnatural  menace  to  their  more  loyal  brethren. 
Nothing  would  suffice.  They  were  determined  not 
only  to  possess  themselves  of  all  the  stores  of  the  loyal 
sailors,  but  to  take  the  admiral  captive  and  assume 
command.  They  at  once  marched  forward  in  pur- 
suance of  their  designs,  and  the  sick  commander  sent 
his  brother  to  meet  them  with  all  the  force  that  could 
be  mustered.  It  consisted  of  fifty  pale  and  debili- 
tated men.  Six  of  the  most  muscular  deserters 
agreed  to  make  a  combined  onslaught  upon  Barthol- 
omew Columbus.  By  his  death  they  believed  victory 
would  be  easy.  One  of  them,  known  as  Pedro 
Ledesma,  had  the  voice  and  physical  courage  of  a 
wild  bull.  Just  before  the  battle  took  place,  he  shook 
his  lance  at  the  peacemakers,  who  even  at  the  last 
moment  were  trying  to  avert  the  fratricidal  conflict, 
and  boasted  that  six  of  those  lances  would  be  through 
the  body  of  the  Italian  leader  of  fighting  imbeciles  in 
a  very  few  minutes.  Juan  Marido  divined  the  mean- 
ing of  the  boast  and  was  able  to  get  together  half  a 
dozen  to  assist  and  guard  their  leader.  With  loud 
shouts  the  deserters  rushed  upon  the  defenders,  while 


MERIDA  57 

the  six  desperadoes,  led  by  Francisco  de  Porras  and 
Pedro  Ledesma,  viciously  attacked  Bartholomew. 
The  admiral's  brother  was  a  fighter  and  in  his  ele- 
ment. At  the  first  shock  four  of  the  six  confederates 
were  killed,  Porras  was  made  a  prisoner,  and  Ledesma 
was  so  nearly  cut  to  pieces  that  he  was  left  for  dead 
in  a  ravine  where  he  had  fallen.  In  a  sudden  panic 
the  cowardly  remainder  fled. 

Although  Ledesma  had  wounds  enough  to  kill  a 
dozen  men,  he  recovered.  On  the  next  day  the  fugi- 
tive deserters  surrendered  themselves  in  the  most 
abject  submission.  Four  more  months  passed,  and 
public  indignation  was  so  aroused  in  Hispaniola  that 
Ovando,  the  governor,  was  compelled  to  fit  out  a  ship 
for  the  relief  of  Columbus  and  his  men. 

Meanwhile,  Diego  Mendez,  who  had  accomplished 
the  seemingly  hopeless  task  of  crossing  to  Hispaniola 
as  the  messenger  of  Columbus,  had  exhausted  all  his 
resources  to  obtain  help,  and  then  set  to  work  to 
collect  rents  from  lands  and  property  belonging  to 
the  admiral,  in  order  to  obtain  the  means  of  hiring 
a  ship  to  go  to  the  rescue.  When  he  had  succeeded 
and  his  boat  was  about  to  depart  on  the  mission  of 
long  delayed  mercy,  Ovando  hastily  equipped  a  ship 
and  put  it  under  the  command  of  Diego  de  Salcedo, 
who  was  the  agent  appointed  to  collect  the  rents 
belonging  to  Columbus  in  San  Domingo.  Las  Casas, 
the  renowned  priest,  who  was  at  San  Domingo  at 
that  time,  says  that  popular  indignation  arose  to  such 
a  pitch  that  the  conduct  of  the  governor  was 
denounced  from  the  pulpits.  The  two  ships  arrived 
together,  and  the  miserable  crews  were  carried  to 


k 


58  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

San  Domingo,  where  they  landed  on  the  third  of 
August.  The  magnanimous  admiral  pardoned  all  the 
miserable  miscreants  who  had  caused  him  such  dis- 
tress during  the  long  year  of  almost  unparalleled  suf- 
fering at  Jamaica,  excepting  Francisco  de  Porras, 
whom  he  determined  to  take  to  Spain  for  trial.  The 
two  Porras  brothers  and  Ledesma  alone  remained 
sullen  and  revengeful.  Their  chief  hate  was  against 
the  admiral,  who,  they  claimed,  had  enticed  them 
ffom  Spain  and  plunged  them  into  such  dire  misfor- 
tunes. Scarcely  less  was  their  hatred  for  Juan 
Marido,  whose  watchfulness  had  so  often  foiled  them. 
That  delicately  featured  youth,  who  seemed  never  to 
grow  older,  discovered  the  two  irreconcilables  in  for- 
bidden conference,  and  their  enmity  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  severer  restrictions  that  were 
adopted  toward  them. 

On  September  12th,  the  sails  that  brought  Colum- 
bus from  his  wrecks  at  Jamaica,  were  spread  to  carry 
him  back  to  his  ungrateful  country.  A  tempestuous 
voyage  ensued,  and  under  cover  of  the  storms  Pedro 
Ledesma  and  Diego  de  Porras,  the  two  sinister  and 
revengeful  characters  on  board,  arranged  a  plan  to 
slay  the  accuser  of  the  seditious  leader,  who  was  left 
a  prisoner  at  Hispaniola.  However,  the  watchful 
eyes  of  Juan  Marido  seemed  always  to  see  any  evil 
that  was  meditated  against  the  great  discoverer. 

On  the  night  of  November  6th,  as  the  shattered 
vessel  lay  ofif  the  harbor  of  San  Lucar,  between  Palos 
and  Cadiz,  the  watchman  heard  a  cry  and  a  struggle. 
Near  the  door  of  the  commander's  apartment,  he 
found  the  admiral,  who  had  been  too  weak  to  leave 


Q 
O 

PQ 

O 

u 
en 
2; 
o 
u 

is 


I 


MERIDA  61 

his  bed  during  the  voyage,  bending  over  the  uncon- 
scious body  of  Juan  Marido.  There  had  been  a  vicious 
blow  on  the  head  and  a  fatal  stab  near  the  heart.  No 
assailant  had  been  seen,  and  the  mystery  was  deep- 
ened by  the  unusual  secrecy  maintained  over  the 
stricken  sailor.  lie  was  placed  in  the  room  occupied 
by  the  admiral's  domestics,  and  his  comrades  were 
not  allowed  to  see  him.  Several  of  these  who  had  so 
long  shared  distress  and  misfortune  with  him,  and 
believed  in  him  as  one  inspired,  were  aroused  to  the 
greatest  indignation  at  such  an  unnatural  and  cruel 
attack.  Instinctively  they  saw  signs  of  gilt  in 
the  sinister  countenances  of  Pedro  Ledesma  and 
Diego  de  Porras,  but  this  was  forgotten  in  the  joy 
that  the  end  of  their  long  suffering  was  at  hand.  The 
next  day  they  went  ashore  to  scatter  over  the  country 
among  their  admiring  and  rejoicing  friends. 

Juan  Marido  was  carried  to  the  nearest  convent  and 
given  over  to  the  care  of  the  nuns.  Here  there  was 
continually  some  one  of  the  sailors  waiting  about  the 
gates,  begging  to  know  the  fate  of  their  beloved  com- 
rade. 

In  a  few  days  the  venerable  Friar  Juan  Perez  of  La 
Rabida  and  the  physician,  Garcia  Fernandez,  came  to 
the  convent,  bringing  with  them  the  aged  mother  of 
Merida.  Two  or  three  weeks  passed,  when  one  morn- 
ing the  sailor  who  had  most  persistently  lingered 
about  the  convent,  saw  a  procession  issuing  from 
the  gates,  bearing  with  the  utmost  tenderness  and 
respect  a  covered  litter,  in  which  he  believed  lay  the 
body,  dead  or  alive  (he  could  not  learn  which),  of  the 
friend  who  had  so  cheered  and  helped  him  through 


62  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

many  months  of  despair  and  suffering.  He  followed 
them  on  to  Seville  and  learned  that  his  friend  was 
dying,  but  could  not  die  contented  until  the  hands  of 
the  almost  equally  helpless  Columbus  had  been  laid 
in  a  parting  blessing  upon  his  head.  A  few  days  later 
the  sailor  saw  his  friend  buried  in  the  ground  reserved 
for  the  nuns  in  the  garden  of  the  convent  of  the 
Sacred  Heart.  Then  he  learned  that  Juan  Marido 
was  Merida  of  Palos,  whom  he  had  known  in  their 
early  childhood. 

Las  Casas,  the  venerable  friend  and  historian  of 
Columbus,  says  that  Pedro  Ledesma,  the  murderer 
of  Merida,  was  some  months  later  found  dead  in  the 
streets  of  Seville  with  a  dagger  through  his  heart. 
Merida  had  left  an  avenger. 


OJEDA 

The  Spaniards  console  themselves  in  their  unfor- 
tunate experience  with  America  that  they  have  retired 
with  honor  and  have  taken  with  them  the  bones  of 
the  discoverer.  However,  with  the  rest  of  mankind 
there  are  grave  historic  doubts  as  to  either  of  these 
claims  being  true.  The  tribulations,  unrest  and 
uncertainty  connected  with  the  removal  of  the  illus- 
trious dust  of  Columbus  from  place  to  place,  serves 
to  recall  interest  in  the  fate  of  the  remarkable  char- 
acters who  thronged  in  his  wake  to  the  New  World. 
In  most  of  them  the  highest  motive  was  that  of  the 
unrestricted  passion  for  adventure  and  lawless  con- 
quest. 

On  the  second  voyage,  Columbus  had  with  him  a 
man  small  of  stature  but  sinewy  as  a  leopard,  whose 
extraordinary  bravado  and  reckless  daring  exceeded 
them  all.  This  man  of  romantic  adventures  was  then 
only  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  yet  he  had  already 
made  himself  famous  for  his  reckless  exploits  in  the 
Moorish  wars.  He  was  a  page  in  the  service  of  the 
powerful  Don  Luis  de  Cerda,  Duke  of  Medina  Celi, 
when  he  made  himself  notorious  as  the  dare-devil 
Alonzo  de  Ojeda. 

Just  before  the  fall  of  Malaga  in  1487,  during  a 
desperate  sally  of  Moorish  cavalry,  which  surprised 
and  put  to  rout  his  company  while  it  was  out  on  a 

63 


64  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

gay  parade,  the  youthful  page  Ojeda  was  made  pris- 
oner. He  was  taken  into  Malaga,  stripped  of  his 
brilliant  uniformi,  and  given  the  inglorious  task  of 
attending  to  the  stalls  of  the  horses.  Nothing,  how- 
ever, exasperated  him  so  much  as  to  see  the  horse 
that  he  had  so  patiently  trained  given  over  to  a  son 
of  the  captain,  an  unkempt  imp  of  about  his  own  age, 
with  whom  he  had  been  compelled  to  exchange  cloth- 
ing. Luckily,  he  had  a  Moorish  cast  of  features,  and 
his  despised  clothing  was  ultimately  much  to  his  ad- 
vantage. 

A  few  days  after  his  capture  it  happened  that,  while 
assisting  to  water  some  horses  at  a  well  just  outside 
the  city,  the  Moorish  boy,  clad  in  his  soiled  page's 
uniform  and  riding  Ojeda's  horse,  came  up  to  quench 
his  thirst.  Less  than  a  mile  away,  Ojeda  could  see 
the  white  tents  of  the  Castilian  besiegers.  A  daring 
thought  struck  him,  and  with  him  to  think  was  to 
act.  With  a  running  leap  he  sprang  upon  the  back 
of  his  horse  behind  the  Moorish  boy,  locked  his  arms 
around  him,  struck  his  heels  into  the  animal's  flanks, 
and  called  out  to  the  horse  the  well-known  words  of 
command.  Like  an  arrow  the  animal  sped  toward 
the  distant  tents.  The  howls  of  rage  from  the  men 
who  followed  as  swiftly  as  possible  upon  the  remain- 
ing steeds,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  struggling  Moorish 
lad,  aroused  all  the  horsemen  on  the  plain,  and,  with 
the  war  cry  of  the  prophet,  they  converged  from  every 
direction  upon  the  flying  animal  and  its  writhing, 
twisting  riders.  Hearing  the  uproar,  and  supposing 
an  assault  of  the  enemy  was  about  to  take  place,  the 
Moorish  cavalry  in  the  city  sprang  to  their  horses, 


OJEDA  67 

went  with  all  speed  to  the  plain,  and  formed  in  rank 
to  resist  a  charge. 

Such  an  array  of  horsemen  led  the  Spaniards  to 
conclude  that  the  Moors  were  making  a  last  mad  dash 
for  liberty.  The  call  to  arms  resounded,  and  the 
eager  Castilians  were  in  a  moment  on  their  horses 
with  poised  lances,  sweeping  toward  the  enemy. 

Supposing  the  oncoming  Spaniards  were  the  occa- 
sion of  the  alarm,  the  Moors  stood  their  ground  until 
driven  back  into  the  city  by  one  of  the  most  sangui- 
nary conflicts  of  the  siege.  The  best  of  the  Moorish 
cavalry  had  fallen,  and  all  hope  of  help  from  without 
being  lost,  the  city  at  last  surrendered. 

The  youthful  Ojeda  raced  his  obedient  horse  into 
the  midst  of  the  Spanish  camp  with  his  terrified  pris- 
oner, and  a  little  later  had  the  pleasure  of  riding  at 
the  head  of  the  procession,  resplendent  in  a  new  uni- 
form, to  witness  the  surrender  of  the  city. 

Five  years  later,  a  more  romantic  episode  occurred 
to  distinguish  him  at  the  siege  of  Granada.  Through 
some  means  not  now  known,  the  Moors  had  made 
captive  a  Christian  girl  distantly  related  to  Doiia 
Beatriz,  Marchioness  of  Moya,  who  then  occupied 
a  tent  adjoining  that  of  Queen  Isabella.  For  a  Chris- 
tian girl  to  be  taken  by  the  Moors  meant  immediate 
slavery  in  one  of  the  harems,  a  fate  so  abhorrent  that 
it  always  called  forth  the  most  desperate  expedients 
for  rescue,  and  was  the  choice  method  of  retaliation 
by  the  Moors  upon  the  hated  Castilians. 

When  Ojeda  heard  of  the  capture,  his  impetuous 
nature  was  at  once  aflame  with  the  resolution  to  res- 


68  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

cue  her,  although  such  a  feat  had  been  rarely  accom- 
plished. 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  youthful  dare-devil  ever  laid 
any  deliberate  plans,  but  his  first  move  in  this  case 
was  to  allow  himself  to  be  captured,  presumably  trust- 
ing to  luck  to  keep  his  head  on  his  shoulders  and  to 
find  some  way  to  escape  captivity  with  the  girl.  At 
this  time  the  Moors  were  too  much  occupied  with 
the  impending  fall  of  the  city  to  give  the  customary 
attention  to  prisoners.  He  was  summarily  manacled 
and  cast  like  a  piece  of  rubbish  into  one  of  the  prisons 
adjoining  the  Alhambra.  The  city  was  full  of  dis- 
tress, confusion,  dissensions,  and  disorder.  So  much 
so  that  the  score  of  Spanish  prisoners  with  him  were 
nearly  starved  to  death  from  neglect.  Having  small 
hands  and  large  wrists,  he  succeeded,  as  he  expected, 
in  removing  the  manacles,  with  but  little  difficulty. 
Equipping  himself  in  Moorish  clothing,  obtained 
from  the  prisoners,  he  waited  until  night,  and,  with  a 
little  assistance,  performed  the  almost  incredible  feat 
of  climbing  like  a  cat  up  the  corner  of  the  stone 
prison.  He  removed  a  tile  from  the  high  roof, 
escaped  to  adjoining  roofs,  and  then  to  the  ground. 
His  first  care  was  to  secure  a  rope,  with  which  he 
returned  to  the  roof  of  the  prison,  and,  fastening  it 
securely,  let  himself  down  among  the  astonished  pris- 
oners. One  of  them  being  of  Moorish  extraction, 
and  having  been  brought  up  in  Malaga,  was  par- 
ticularly well  fitted  for  the  task  in  hand.  Ojeda 
released  him  from  his  chains,  and  together  they 
climbed  the  rope  and  escaped  to  the  ground.  The 
streets  were  crowded  all  night  with  distressed  and 


OJEDA  69 

anxious  people,  and  the  two  escaped  prisoners  min- 
gled freely  with  them. 

The  Spanish  party  that  had  been  recently  captured 
was  so  prominent  that  it  was  not  long  before  a  clew 
was  obtained  as  to  the  place  of  their  imprisonment. 
When  morning  came  the  two  men  found  a  lodging 
place  and  slept  through  the  day.  That  night, 
strangely  enough,  they  found  that  the  girl  and  her 
mother  were  kept  in  a  room  adjoining,  and  commu- 
nicating with  the  great  mosque  in  the  center  of  the 
city.  It  was  doubly  difficult  to  communicate  with 
them,  since  in  the  distressed  state  of  the  people,  the 
mosque  was  crowded  at  all  times  with  anxious  wor- 
shipers. However,  what  Ojeda  could  not  accomplish 
by  some  feat  of  strategy,  he  did  by  reckless  boldness. 
Procuring  some  Moorish  male  clothing,  he  awaited 
an  hour  when  there  were  fewest  chances  of  anyone 
being  in  the  room  but  the  prisoners,  and  then  braced 
himself  against  the  door,  exerting  such  strength  that 
its  lock  was  broken.  If  there  were  any  observers,  they 
were  too  much  occupied  with  their  own  woes  to  give 
the  incident  any  attention.  He  went  at  once  into  the 
room  and  reassured  the  cowering  women  by  telling 
them  that  he  meant  to  assist  the  young  lady  to  escape 
and  that  her  mother  would  doubtless  soon  be  at  lib- 
erty, as  he  was  assured  that  the  city  could  not  with- 
stand the  siege  but  a  few  weeks  longer.  The  girl 
hastily  donned  the  clothing  brought  for  her,  and 
boldly  walked  out  into  the  mosque  and  passed  on  into 
the  street. 

In  order  to  throw  pursuers  off  the  track,  he  had 
instructed  the  mother  to  wait  until  she  heard  some 


k 


70  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

one  coming  to  the  room,  and  then  to  cry  out  that 
her  daughter  had  been  taken  from  her  by  an  unknown 
person.  He  expected  by  this  means  to  be  able  to 
escape  pursuit  until  the  supreme  effort  to  get  out  of 
the  city  had  been  made.  It  was  about  an  hour  before 
daylight  when  the  two  men  and  the  disguised  girl 
reached  the  city  wall  at  an  unfrequented  place.  They 
waited  patiently  until  the  sentinel  came  to  relieve  the 
man  on  the  wall,  when  Ojeda  sprang  upon  him  so 
suddenly  that  there  was  no  outcry,  took  the  ladder 
he  carried,  and  mounted  the  wall.  With  a  stroke  of 
the  poniard  the  sentinel  who  was  to  be  relieved  was 
silenced  as  quickly  as  the  other.  Although  it  had 
been  a  dark  night,  which  favored  them  so  far,  light 
was  now  breaking,  and  the  utmost  expedition  was 
necessary.  The  ladder  was  drawn  up  and  placed  on 
the  outside,  when  watchful  sentinels,  with  keen 
ears,  detected  the  unusual  sounds,  and  called  out  their 
signals.  Receiving  no  answer,  they  approached,  just 
as  the  fugitives  reached  the  ground.  With  loud  cries, 
the  sentinels  called  to  the  squad  of  horsemen  that 
patrolled  the  outside,  while  the  fleet-footed  prisoners 
sped  away  toward  the  Spanish  encampment.  With 
answering  cries  the  horsemen  came  on,  the  clatter  of 
horses'  feet  being  heard  from  all  directions.  Bidding 
the  girl  run  on,  the  two  men,  armed  with  the  lances 
taken  from  the  dead  sentinels,  covered  her  flight. 
Objects  were  visible  but  a  short  distance  in  the  dawn- 
ing light,  when  the  first  horseman  to  see  them  dashed 
upon  them.  Ojeda  caught  the  horse  by  the  nostrils, 
and,  with  a  powerful  jerk,  brought  it  to  its  knees. 
At  the  same  moment  the  other  man  ran  the  horseman 


I 


OJEDA  71 

through  with  the  lance  and  dragged  him  to  the 
ground.  The  two  men  then  mounted  the  animal  and 
sped  on  ahead  of  their  pursuers,  to  the  girl,  whom 
they  snatched  up  behind  them.  A  minute  later  they 
were  safe  among  the  astonished  Spaniards. 

Las  Casas  relates  that  he  knew  Ojeda  when  he  was 
renowned  as  having  been  in  more  personal  quarrels, 
fights  and  feuds  than  any  other  man  without  ever 
having  been  wounded  or  having  lost  a  drop  of  blood. 
Ojeda  attributed  this  immunity  to  a  religious  talis- 
man which  he  always  wore  about  his  neck,  consist- 
ing of  a  small  Flemish  painting  given  him  by  his 
patron,  Fonesca,  the  bishop  of  Badajoz,  who  was  a 
bitter  and  relentless  enemy  of  Columbus,  and  did  that 
great  man  more  injury  than  all  other  evil  influences 
combined.  Herrera  says  that  in  the  most  dangerous 
situations,  Ojeda  would  fasten  the  image  of  his  mil- 
itary patroness  to  some  object,  calmly  address  his 
devotions  to  it,  and  then  proceed  with  the  utmost 
impetuosity  to  overwhelm  his  enemies.  The  writers 
of  that  time  have  many  anecdotes  of  his  daring  esca- 
pades. Las  Casas  relates  one  that  well  illustrates  his 
reckless  character.  Queen  Isabella,  while  in  Seville, 
one  day  entered  the  tower  of  the  cathedral.  While 
looking  out  over  the  city  from  one  of  the  balconies, 
she  became  aware  that  some  object  above  her  was 
greatly  exciting  the  people  far  below  her.  Looking 
up,  she  saw  to  her  horror  that  a  man  more  than  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  her  was  dancing  upon  the  end  of  a 
beam  that  projected  about  twenty  feet  from  the  struc- 
ture. After  holding  the  people  almost  breathless  for 
several  minutes,  he  walked    back,  placed  one   foot 


%z  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

against  the  tower,  and  threw  an  orange  to  the  sum- 
mit. This  was  Ojeda,  who  became  one  of  the  great- 
est of  Spain's  early  discoverers,  and  who  founded  the 
first  settlement  on  the  continent  at  San  Sebastian, 
Darien. 

His  first  extended  experience  on  the  sea  was  with 
the  second  expedition  of  Columbus,  in  which  his  irre- 
pressible activity  found  exercise  in  every  available 
enterprise  of  danger  or  hazardous  exploit.  Notably 
among  these  may  be  mentioned  his  search  through 
the  Island  of  Guadaloupe  for  nine  lost  sailors,  and  his 
visit  to  the  interior  of  Hayti,  which  he  believed  to  be 
Japan. 

The  little  town  of  Isabella,  founded  by  Columbus 
in  Hispaniola,  was  seriously  menaced  by  a  warlike 
Carib  Cacique  of  the  interior,  known  as  Caonabo. 
This  chief  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  and  unusually 
well  disciplined  army  in  the  midst  of  almost  inaccessi- 
ble mountains,  but  Ojeda  proposed  to  take  ten  picked 
men  and  bring  him  a  captive  to  Columbus.  This  wild 
project  was  in  keeping  with  his  love  of  extravagant 
exploits.  In  any  other  man  such  a  proposal  would 
have  seemed  ridiculous,  but  Ojeda  had  performed 
many  a  madcap  feat  equally  hazardous  and  doubtful. 
He  led  his  ten  hardy  followers  over  nearly  two  hun- 
dred miles  of  wild  and  hostile  territory,  to  a  place  now 
called  Maguana,  near  San  Juan,  where  he  found 
Caonabo  preparing  to  resist  to  the  utmost  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Spaniards  on  the  island.  In  several 
previous  conflicts,  Caonabo  liad  learned  to  respect 
the  prowess  of  Ojeda,  and  now  when  the  Cacique  saw 
that  doughty  fighter  approaching  him  with  all  the 


OJEDA  73 

deference  shown  to  a  sovereign  prince,  he  was  greatly 
pleased.  Ojeda  claimed  that  he  had  come  to  solicit 
Caonabo's  friendship  and  to  enter  into  a  treaty  with 
him.  In  a  few  days  Ojeda  had  so  ingratiated  himself 
into  the  good  will  of  the  Cacique  that  the  chieftain 
agreed  to  go  to  Isabella  to  negotiate  the  proposed 
treaty.  As  a  sign  of  perpetual  friendship,  Caonabo 
was  to  carry  back  with  him  the  chaj>el  bell  of  Isabella, 
which  was  the  wonder  of  all  the  islanders. 

When  they  were  ready  to  start,  Ojeda  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  wily  Cacique  was  to  be  accom- 
panied by  a  picked  force  of  several  thousand 
warriors.  Ojeda  inquired  why  he  was  taking  such 
an  armed  force  on  a  visit  that  was  purely  of  a  friendly 
character.  The  chief  replied  that  he  wished  to  visit 
his  friends  the  Spaniards  as  became  a  prince  of  his 
power  visiting  in  state  such  noble  foreigners. 

It  became  evident  that  nothing  but  a  daring  strata- 
gem would  effect  the  capture  of  the  wily  chief.  The 
army  marched  on  to  the  Little  Yagui  river,  a  branch 
of  the  Neyba,  and  halted  for  a  period  of  rest.  Here 
Ojeda  produced  a  set  of  steel  manacles,  burnished 
till  they  shone  like  silver.  He  convinced  Caonabo  by 
a  plausible  piece  of  fiction  that  these  elaborate 
shackles  were  royal  ornaments  worn  by  the  Spanish 
sovereigns  on  occasions  of  great  state.  In  order  to 
dazzle  Columbus  with  an  insignia  of  such  distinction 
and  authority,  it  was  advisable  for  Caonabo  to  pass 
through  the  royal  consecrating  ceremonies  and  then 
to  wear  the  kingly  bracelets.  Thinking  that  this 
would  confer  upon  him  a  sp>ecial  influence  and 
authority  over  Columbus,  Caonabo  passed  through 


74  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

an  elaborate  series  of  religious  ceremonies,  during 
which  the  shining  bracelets  were  placed  upon  his 
wrists,  he  was  set  in  front  of  Ojeda  astride  the  horse, 
and  the  other  Spanish  horsemen  gathered  around 
them.  At  a  word  from  Ojeda,  they  struck  their  heels 
into  the  flanks  of  their  horses  and  dashed  away  with 
their  amazed  captive.  They  had  yet  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  thickly  settled  Indian 
country  to  pass  through,  in  which  all  the  people  were 
either  subject  to  Caonabo  or  were  his  allies.  Ojeda 
and  his  men  shunned  the  most  populous  districts, 
swept  in  a  compact  body  at  the  highest  speed 
through  the  towns,  with  the  Cacique  in  the  center, 
bound  tightly  to  his  horse,  and  kept  their  way  as 
much  as  possible  through  the  most  unfrequented  for- 
ests. After  much  suffering  from  hunger,  anxiety  and 
fatigue,  they  reached  Isabella  in  safety  and  delivered 
the  dangerous  chieftain  to  Columbus. 

Las  Casas  says  that  the  Carib  chief  never  deviated 
from  that  haughty  and  savage  defiance  so  character- 
istic of  the  Indians.  He  would  not  pay  the  slightest 
heed  or  respect  to  any  but  Ojeda.  It  was  the  custom 
for  all  to  arise  when  Columbus  entered  the  room,  but 
Caonabo  refused  to  take  any  notice  of  his  presence. 
However,  Ojeda  never  came  near  him  without  the 
chieftain  arising  and  saluting  him  with  the  profound- 
est  respect. 

Several  attempts  were  made  by  the  subjects  of 
Caonabo  to  rescue  him,  but  in  every  instance,  Ojeda 
with  a  handful  of  horsemen  put  them  to  flight.  A 
last  effort  was  made  by  a  brother  of  Caonabo  with 


OJEDA  75 

seven  thousand  unusually  well  prepared  men.  The 
battle  was  conducted  with  considerable  skill,  but  the 
steel-clad  horsemen  went  through  them  with  irresist- 
ible destruction,  and  the  dismayed  savages  fled, 
abandoning  all  hope  of  ever  successfully  opposing 
the  invaders  of  their  island.  In  the  sporadic  insur- 
rections that  followed,  Ojeda  added  trained  blood- 
hounds to  his  cavalry,  and  that  savage  terror  was 
afterward  used  all  over  Spanish  America  for  the 
extermination  of  the  natives. 

When  Columbus  returned  to  Spain,  Ojeda 
returned  with  him,  but  did  not  embark  in  the  third 
voyage,  which  brought  the  admiral  back  in  chains. 
He  was  ambitious  to  lead  an  expedition  of  his  own. 
As  he  had  a  cousin  of  the  same  name  who  was  one 
of  the  first  inquisitors  of  Spain,  and  who  stood  in 
high  favor  with  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  he  had  good 
reason  to  expect  a  fulfillment  of  his  desires.  Another 
powerful  friend  was  Don  Juan  Rodriguez  Fonseca, 
who  was  an  implacable  enemy  of  Columbus,  and  who 
had  charge  of  all  the  affairs  regulating  the  govern- 
ment of  the  New  World.  It  was  he  who  had  given 
the  small  Flemish  painting  of  the  Virgin  to  Ojeda, 
which  excited  in  him  such  religious  fervor  and  head- 
long courage. 

During  the  excitement  occasioned  by  the  letters 
sent  back  by  Columbus  from  the  early  part  of  his 
third  voyage,  Ojeda  easily  obtained  the  equipment 
and  authority  desired,  and  he  set  sail  from  the  port 
of  St.  Mary,  opposite  Cadiz,  May  20,  1499.  With 
him  were  Juan  de  la  Cosa,  who,  next  to  Columbus, 


76  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

may  be  regarded  as  the  ablest  mariner  of  that  day, 
and  Amerigo  Vespucci,  the  ruined  Florentine  mer- 
chant, whose  name  was  given  to  the  New  World. 

In  twenty-four  days  he  reached  the  continent  at 
the  coast  of  Guiana,  South  America,  about  six  hun- 
dred miles  south  of  the  lowest  point  reached  by 
Columbus.  He  passed  on  northward,  destroying,  as 
a  diversion,  the  war-like  inhabitants  of  one  of  the  Car- 
ribee  islands  in  several  sharply  contested  battles,  in 
which  he  had  one  man  killed  and  twenty-one 
wounded.  A  month  later  he  entered  a  gulf  in  which 
he  found  built  an  Indian  village  reminding  him  so 
much  of  Venice  that  he  named  it  Little  Venice,  or 
Venezuela.  Here  he  met  with  a  singular  adventure. 
As  soon  as  the  natives  saw  the  strange  objects  sail- 
ing into  their  bay,  they  fled  to  their  lake-dwellings, 
drew  in  the  bridges  that  connected  them,  and 
appeared  to  be  in  the  greatest  terror.  While  the 
Spaniards  were  gazing  at  the  village  a  vast  number 
of  canoes  filled  with  men  entered  the  harbor.  The 
Spaniards  tried  to  hold  communication  with  them, 
but  the  savages  rowed  to  the  shore  and  fled  into  the 
woods. 

In  an  hour  some  canoes  came  to  the  ships  with  six- 
teen girls,  who  were  distributed  equally,  four  to  each 
ship,  apparently  as  a  peace  offering.  The  people  then 
came  swarming  about  the  ships  in  great  numbers. 
Suddenly  loud  shrieks  were  heard  from  a  lot  of  old 
women  standing  in  the  doors  of  the  houses.  The 
young  women  sprang  overboard  into  the  sea  and 
swam  like  fish  toward  the  shore.  Concealed  weapons 
were  brandished  from  all  sides,  and  a  shower  of  arrows 


OJEDA  79 

was  sent  into  the  ships.  The  Spaniards  turned  their 
cannon  upon  the  temerarious  natives  and  put  them 
to  ignominious  flight.  Two  of  the  g^rls  were  recap- 
tured, but  they  escaped  the  same  night. 

It  is  worthy  to  note  that  at  the  next  place  where 
they  landed  they  enjoyed  the  most  extreme  hospital- 
ity. This  was  at  a  point  supposed  to  be  near  where 
Maracaibo  now  stands.  The  people,  and  especially 
the  women,  were  distinguished  for  their  remarkable 
physical  symmetry.  They  entreated  Ojeda  to  allow 
a  company  of  Spaniards  to  be  taken  into  the  interior, 
where  others  of  their  tribes  could  behold  the  marvel- 
ous visitors.  Twenty-seven  men  were  accorded  this 
extraordinary  privilege,  and  the  Indians  prepared  lit- 
ters, on  which  the  delighted  Spaniards  were  carried 
with  all  the  savage  pomp  of  ancient  kings.  When  the 
cavalcade  of  royal  arch  voluptuaries  reappeared  before 
their  envious  comrades,  they  were  followed  by  many 
thousands  of  rejoicing  natives,  who  made  the  forests 
ring  with  shouts  and  songs. 

It  was  here  that  Ojeda  was  so  taken  with  the  supe- 
rior intelligence  and  beauty  of  a  daughter  of  one  of 
the  Indian  Caciques,  or  chieftains,  that  he  took  her 
away  with  him,  which,  according  to  the  Indian  cus- 
toms, made  her  his  wife.  He  named  her  Isabel,  and 
she  had  no  inconsiderable  part  in  his  subsequent 
career. 

It  was  also  at  this  place  where  Ojeda  wrote  his 
account  to  Spain  of  meeting  with  an  English  fleet, 
of  which  there  is  no  account  in  English  history.  It 
greatly  excited  the  Spanish  Government,  and  vigor- 
ous measures  were  at  once  taken  to  prevent  the  Eng- 


k 


go  THRILLING  ADVENTURES- 

lish  from  ever  gaining  a  foothold  in  the  New  World, 
which  they  claimed  as  exclusively  their  own. 

Without  finding  any  sources  of  the  wealth  he 
sought,  he  went  to  Hispaniola,  where  his  commission 
forbade  him  to  land,  caused  a  great  deal  of  unneces- 
sary trouble  to  Columbus,  who  was  then  at  San  Dch 
mingo,  trying  to  bring  order  into  his  rebellious  col- 
onies, sailed  on  to  Porto  Rico,  and  there  loaded  his 
ships  with  slaves,  which  he  carried  to  Spain  and  sold. 

Although  there  were  only  about  twenty  dollars  to 
each  sailor  in  the  division  of  the  profits,  yet  the  fame 
of  Ojeda  as  a  daring  navigator  was  such  that  he  easily 
obtained  a  fleet  of  four  vessels  for  another  voyage. 
The  two  partners  in  this  enterprise  who  furnished  the 
money  went  with  him.  They  attempted  to  found  a 
colony  in  Venezuela,  but  the  expedition  experienced 
nothing  but  disaster.  The  two  partners  put  Ojeda  in 
chains  and  set  their  sails  for  Hispaniola. 

It  had  been  their  intention  to  leave  Isabel,  the 
Indian  princess,  who  believed  herself  to  be  the  lawful 
wife  of  Ojeda,  on  the  mainland  at  Bahia  Honde,  but 
owing  to  the  friendship  of  the  sailors  for  her,  she  was 
smuggled  on  board  and  went  with  him  to  Hispaniola. 
Ojeda  planned  to  escape,  and  when  the  caravels 
anchored  near  the  shore  of  Hispaniola,  Isabel  assisted 
him  one  night  to  get  down  over  the  side  of  the  vessel 
with  the  intention  of  swimming  ashore.  She  was  able 
to  free  his  hands  from  the  manacles,  but  could  not 
relieve  him  of  the  shackles  on  his  feet.  He  was  nearly 
half  way  to  the  shore  when  he  gave  out  and  was 
compelled  to  call  for  help.  A  boat  was  sent  out  to 
bring  the  crestfallen  prisoner  back  to  the  ship,  but 


OJEDA  8i 

they  refused  to  take  in  the  Princess  Isabel,  and  she 
was  compelled  to  swim  to  the  inhospitable  shore. 

Toward  the  end  of  September,  1502,  the  prisoner 
was  turned  over  to  the  Governor  of  San  Domingo. 
The  case  was  carried  to  Spain,  and  about  all  that  is 
known  of  what  followed  is  that  he  was  so  restored  to 
favor  in  1505  as  to  be  given  the  command  of  another 
expedition  to  America.  Three  years  later  he  was  des- 
titute in  Hispaniola,  and  was  nursed  through  a  severe 
fever  by  the  faithful  Isabel,  who  had  maintained  her- 
self during  the  previous  six  years  among  the  natives 
about  San  Domingo,  and  had  come  to  him  as  soon  as 
she  heard  of  his  arrival. 

Ferdinand  of  Spain  at  this  time  decided  that  he 
wanted  to  send  colonists  to  the  Isthmus  of  Darien. 
Only  two  trustworthy  men  were  available.  One  of 
these  was  the  penniless  Ojeda,  the  other  was  the  rich 
and  influential  Diego  de  Nicuesa.  The  veteran  pilot, 
Juan  de  la  Cosa,  used  all  his  influence  for  Ojeda,  and 
the  King  decided  to  divide  the  territory  between 
them.  They  were  made  joint  Governors  of  Jamaica, 
and  given  equal  authority  in  their  respective  terri- 
tories. The  richly  equipped  fleet  of  six  vessels  com- 
manded by  Nicuesa,  and  the  three  scantily  fitted  car- 
avels furnished  by  La  Cosa,  arrived  at  San  Domingo 
about  the  same  time,  where  Ojeda  was  anxiously 
awaiting  them. 

Not  satisfied  with  his  equipment,  he  succeeded  in 
persuading  a  lawyer  named  Martin  Fernandez  de 
Enciso,  who  had  saved  about  ten  thousand  dollars 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  to  join  him  and  invest 
his  fortune  in  additional  equipment.     Meanwhile  the 


83  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

rival  Governors  had  embroiled  the  whole  community 
in  a  fierce  quarrel  over  their  conflicting  claims.  Diego 
Columbus,  then  Governor  of  Hispaniola,  settled  the 
quarrel  over  Jamaica  by  asserting  his  own  rights  over 
that  island.  He  sent  Juan  de  Esquibel  with  seventy 
men  to  take  possession  and  to  hold  the  island  against 
all  comers.  Ojeda  swore  by  the  image  of  the  Virgin 
he  wore  that  he  would  have  Esquibel's  head  when- 
ever he  had  occasion  to  visit  Jamaica,  and  Nicuesa — 
no  less  angered — put  in  command  of  his  men  the  chief 
enemies  of  Columbus. 

Ojeda  was  remarkable  for  the  noted  men  he  gath- 
ered around  him.  On  this  expedition  he  had  with  him 
several  who  became  famous,  among  whom  was  Fran- 
cisco Pizarro,  afterward  the  renowned  conqueror  of 
Peru.  Hernando  Cortez  (the  subsequent  conqueror 
of  Mexico)  had  engaged  a  place  in  the  expedition, 
but  was  prevented  from  going  by  an  inflammation  of 
the  knee.  Among  the  crew  of  the  ship  taken  to 
Ojeda's  colony  by  the  lawyer  Martin  Fernandez,  was 
Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  who,  in  15 13,  discovered 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  in  the  relief  vessel  of  Valdivia 
was  Hernando  De  Soto,  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi, 
in  1542. 

On  November  10,  1509,  Ojeda  left  San  Domingo, 
and,  after  a  short  and  prosperous  voyage,  reached  the 
mainland  at  Cartegena,  The  veteran  pilot  La  Cosa 
had  been  here  with  Bastides  eight  years  before,  and 
he  warned  Ojeda  not  to  run  any  risks  with  the  natives, 
as  they  were  dangerous  warriors.  All  of  La  Cosa's 
hard-earned  fortune  was  invested  in  this  enterprise, 
and  he  begged  Ojeda  to  go  to  a  more  hospitable 


OJEDA  83 

shore,  where  the  natives  were  less  ferocious  and  did 
not  use  poisoned  weapons.  Nothing  appealed  to 
Ojeda's  sense  of  pleasure  so  much  as  the  prospect  of 
a  hotly  contested  fight,  and  his  sense  of  courage  could 
not  brook  the  thought  of  changing  plans  because  of 
fear  for  a  lot  of  naked  savages. 

When  the  ships  came  to  anchor  the  shore  was  at 
once  thronged  with  a  host  of  hostile  natives.  Ojeda 
at  once  landed  most  of  his  force  and  ordered  his  friars 
to  proceed  with  their  religious  ceremonies,  prepara- 
tory to  the  conversion  or  annihilation  of  the  Indians. 
In  reply  the  unteachable  savages  brandished  their 
weapons,  yelled  their  defiant  war  whoops,  and 
sounded  their  martial  conches.  Ojeda  addressed  a 
short  invocation  to  the  image  suspended  about  his 
neck,  and  ordered  a  furious  charge.  The  Indians 
were  routed  and  hotly  pursued  twelve  miles  into  the 
forest,  where  they  made  a  determined  stand,  but  were 
again  routed. 

The  aged  La  Cosa  fought  with  equal  valor  by  the 
side  of  the  impetuous  Ojeda,  but  constantly  warned 
him  of  the  imminent  peril  of  such  an  extended  pur- 
suit. Regardless  of  these  wise  remonstrances,  Ojeda 
continued  the  chase  until  late  in  the  evening,  when 
they  arrived  at  the  village  Yurbaco.  The  place 
seemed  deserted,  and  the  Spaniards,  supposing  that 

I  the  natives  had  fled  in  terror  at  their  approach,  scat- 
tered among  the  houses  in  search  of  booty.  A  mo- 
ment later  the  surrounding  forest  echoed  with  the 
whoops  of  warriors  who  poured  in  upon  the  surprised 
and  disorganized  Spaniards  a  bewildering  shower  of 
poisoned  arrows.  Each  straggling  body  of  men  was 
; 


84  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

surrounded  by  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  savages. 
In  vain  the  desperate  fight  for  Hfe  was  heroically 
waged.  For  every  Indian  killed  there  seemed  to  be 
a  score  to  take  his  place.  Ojeda  and  several  of  his 
men  succeeded  in  getting  into  an  inclosure  of  pali- 
sades, which  enabled  them  to  maintain  themselves 
longer  than  the  others.  La  Cosa,  with  a  larger  body 
of  men,  had  fought  his  way  outside  the  principal  ring 
of  battle,  but  learning  of  the  peril  of  Ojeda,  turned 
back  to  his  rescue  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  pali- 
sade gate,  where  all  but  one  fell  under  the  unremit- 
ting hail  of  poisonous  missiles.  Just  as  La  Cosa  was 
struck  down,  Ojeda  rushed  with  the  ferocity  of  despair 
into  the  thick  ranks  of  his  enemy,  and  cut  his  way 
through  their  lines.  La  Cosa,  though  fatally 
wounded,  succeeded  in  getting  into  a  house  with  sev- 
eral others  equally  wounded,  and  there  the  little  band 
of  Spaniards  defended  themselves  until  they  began  to 
die  in  great  agony  from  the  poison. 

"Sally  forth,"  said  La  Cosa  in  the  midst  of  his 
agonies  to  the  one  man  yet  remaining  unwounded, 
"and  if  it  should  ever  be  thy  fortune  to  see  Alonzo 
de  Ojeda,  tell  him  of  my  fate!" 

This  man,  like  Ojeda,  by  the  impetuosity  of  his 
single  assault,  cut  his  way  through,  before  the  sav- 
ages could  concentrate  their  forces  upon  him,  and 
these  two  were  the  only  survivors  of  the  seventy  men 
who  had  continued  the  pursuit  of  the  savages  into  the 
forests. 

As  the  days  passed  without  tidings  from  the  pur- 
suers, those  on  the  ships  became  greatly  alarmed. 
Scouting  parties  were  sent  out  in  all  directions,  but 


t/i 


< 
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Q 

o 

C/3 

CO 

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>  33 

O  (fi 

^  S 

PQ  O 
CO  ^ 


OJEDA  87 

large  bands  of  Indians  everywhere  drove  them  back. 
All  attempts  to  find  the  missing  men  were  about  to 
be  given  up,  when  a  searching  party,  passing  by  a 
mangrove  swamp  near  the  sea,  saw  the  body  of  a 
Spaniard  lying  upon  a  tangled  mass  of  roots.  It  was 
Ojeda,  with  his  buckler  over  his  shoulder  and  his 
sword  in  his  hand.  He  was  so  weak  that  he  could 
not  speak.  His  buckler  bore  the  dents  of  more  than 
three  hundred  arrows,  and,  as  usual,  he  attributed  his 
escape  to  the  Virgin  patroness  whose  image  he  wore 
about  his  neck. 

A  few  days  later,  while  he  was  seeking  to  recuperate 
on  shore,  the  squadron  of  Nicuesa,  his  late  enemy  and 
bitter  rival,  came  into  view.  Ojeda  was  now  at  his 
mercy,  and  he  sent  some  friends  to  tell  of  the  great 
misfortune  that  had  befallen  the  expedition  and  to 
discover  what  Nicuesa  would  do. 

"Seek  your  commander  instantly,"  cried  the  chiv- 
alrous Nicuesa,  ''and  bring  him  to  me.  Myself  and 
my  men  are  at  his  service  until  the  death  of  the  brave 
and  noble  La  Cosa  and  his  comrades  are  avenged!" 

In  a  few  days  four  hundred  men  set  out  for  Yur- 
baco.  A  short  way  out  from  the  shore  some  of  the 
men  came  across  an  object  that  made  Ojeda  more 
furious  for  revenge  than  anything  that  had  yet  oc- 
curred. 

When  the  suspense  over  the  fate  of  Ojeda  had 
become  most  intense,  just  before  he  was  discovered 
helpless  on  the  mangrove  roots,  the  faithful  Isabel  de- 
termined to  set  out  alone  to  see  if  she  could  learn  any- 
thing of  the  fate  of  her  lord,  trusting  to  her  kinship 
with  the  Indians.     Ojeda  was  much  disturbed  when 


88  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

he  learned  of  the  dangerous  but  loving  mission  on 
which  she  had  gone,  but  all  hoped  for  her  safe  return. 
The  object  which  the  advanced  scouts  brought  so  ten- 
derly back,  was  the  body  of  Isabel.  She  had  been 
bound  to  a  tree  and  her  body  literally  filled  with  poi- 
soned arrows.  Ojeda  kissed  his  image  of  the  Virgin, 
and,  laying  his  hand  on  the  head  of  the  faithful 
woman,  swore  that  never  again  would  he  stay  his 
sword  in  mercy  to  an  Indian,  a  vow  which  not  many 
weeks  later  was  singularly  broken. 

The  Indian  village  that  had  been  so  disastrous  to 
Ojeda  was  reached  some  time  after  nightfall.  The 
force  of  men  was  equally  divided,  and  just  before 
midnight,  they  approached  silently  from  two  sides 
upon  the  slumbering  people.  The  chattering  parrots 
that  filled  the  trees,  often  made  just  as  noisy  by  some 
prowling  animal,  drowned  all  the  sounds  made  by  the 
stealthy  steps  and  cautiously  whispered  commands  of 
the  approaching  men.  Orders  were  given  to  permit 
no  Indian  to  escape,  and  to  take  none  alive.  The  sav- 
ages were  so  completely  surprised  that  they  could 
make  little  defense.  The  slaughter  was  complete. 
Not  a  man,  woman,  or  child  was  left  alive. 

While  ranging  the  village  for  booty,  they  found  the 
body  of  Juan  la  Cosa  tied  to  a  tree,  and  so  hideous 
from  wounds  and  the  poison  that  the  soldiers  would 
not  remain  the  rest  of  the  night  in  the  gruesome  place. 
After  securing  about  thirty-seven  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  gold  ornaments,  they  destroyed  every  ves- 
tige of  the  village. 

Nicuesa  went  back  to  his  ships  the  sworn  friend  of 
Ojeda,  who  now  took  the  advice  of  the  lamented  La 


OJEDA  89 

Cosa  and  sailed  on  to  the  Gulf  of  Uraba.  A  fort  was 
built,  but  the  incessant  hostility  of  Indians  with  poi- 
soned arrows  still  surrounded  them  and  harassed  them 
at  every  step.  Famine  added  to  their  horrors,  and  it 
seemed  that  they  would  be  able  to  survive  but  a  few 
days  longer,  when  Bernardino  de  Talavera  and  his 
lawless  band  arrived  with  a  well  equipped  Genoese 
ship,  which  he  had  seized  from  its  owner  and  crew  at 
Cape  Tiburon,  on  the  western  end  of  Hispaniola.  The 
relief  did  not  last  long,  and  they  were  again  in  the 
midst  of  famine,  when  Ojeda  determined  to  return  to 
Hispaniola  in  Talavera's  stolen  ship,  it  being  the  only 
seaworthy  one  in  their  possession,  in  order  to  obtain 
help,  and  to  see  why  Martin  Fernandez  had  not  come 
on  with  the  promised  supplies.  Relying  on  the  great 
service  they  had  been  to  the  colony  San  Sebastian, 
and  upon  the  influence  of  Ojeda,  Talavera  and 
his  crew  determined  to  go  with  the  ship.  Once  at 
sea,  the  utterly  incompatible  characters  of  Ojeda  and 
Talavera  asserted  themselves,  and  a  quarrel  ensued, 
in  which  Ojeda  was  put  into  irons  by  the  crew.  While 
not  far  from  the  coast  of  Cuba  a  violent  hurricane 
came  upon  them,  and  Ojeda  was  released  to  help  pilot 
the  ship.  Not  long  after,  it  was  driven,  a  helpless 
wreck,  upon  the  coast.  The  miserable  men,  now  will- 
ingly led  by  Ojeda,  set  out  along  the  wild  and  swampy 
shore  for  the  eastern  end  of  the  island,  in  the  hope 
of  finding  some  way  to  reach  Hispaniola.  Their  suf- 
ferings from  famine  and  hostile  natives,  many  of 
whom  had  fled  from  the  terrors  of  San  Domingo,  were 
such  that  when  they  came  to  a  village  where  lived  the 
Cacique  Cueybas,  they  sank  to  the  ground  exhausted, 


90  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  Indian  chief.  So  far 
from  taking  the  opportunity  for  revenge,  the  Cacique 
tenderly  cared  for  them  as  long  as  they  chose  to 
remain  with  him. 

Their  only  hope  now  seemed  to  be  in  reaching 
Jamaica,  where  there  was  a  settlement  established 
by  Juan  de  Esquibel,  whose  head  Ojeda  had  sworn 
to  take  off  on  his  first  visit  to  that  island.  But  condi- 
tions were  altered  now,  and  Pedro  de  Ordas  was  sent 
across  in  a  canoe  with  some  Indians  to  solicit  help  for 
the  wretched  Spaniards. 

While  starving  and  exhausted  in  the  swamps,  Ojeda 
had  vowed  to  his  Virgin  patroness  that  if  he  were 
saved  from  the  impending  peril,  he  would  erect  a 
chapel  in  the  first  Indian  village,  and  leave  his  beloved 
image  there  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  This 
he  did,  and  Las  Casas  says  that  on  a  visit  there  some 
years  later  he  found  the  oratory  kept  in  scrupulous 
order,  and  the  image  held  in  such  reverence  that  the 
Cacique  Cueybas  ran  away  with  it  for  fear  the  good 
bishop  might  steal  it. 

When  Pedro  de  Ordas  reached  Jamaica,  so  far  from 
holding  enmity  against  Ojeda,  Esquibel  at  once  sent 
a  caravel  for  the  unfortunate  men,  and  cared  for  Ojeda 
at  his  own  house.  Ojeda  was  soon  enabled  to  go  to 
San  Domingo,  where  he  found  that  Martin  Fernandez 
had  already  departed  for  San  Sebastian  with  a  ship 
load  of  supplies. 

On  hearing  that  TaJavera  and  his  crew  were  at 
Jamaica,  Diego  Columbus,  in  accordance  with  his 
strict  ideas  of  justice,  sent  some  men  with  an  order 
for  their  arrest,  brought  them  to  trial,  and  hanged 


OJEDA  91 

them.  The  testimony  of  Ojeda  at  the  trial  of  Tala- 
vera  and  his  men  was  largely  instrumental  in  their 
conviction,  and  some  of  their  friends  resolved  to  assas- 
sinate him.  One  night,  as  he  was  going  to  his  lodg- 
ings, he  was  set  upon  by  a  band  of  ruffians.  His  sword 
was  out  in  a  moment,  with  all  his  old-time  vigor. 
Although  assailed  on  all  sides,  he  laid  about  so  effect- 
ively that  the  midnight  enemies  recoiled  and  then 
fled,  pursued  by  the  valiant  but  prematurely  aged  war- 
rior. Not  one  of  them  escaped  without  a  dangerous 
wound  to  nurse  as  a  result  of  their  lawless  temerity. 
From  this  episode  on,  Ojeda  is  named  no  more  in 
the  Spanish  records.  This  man  of  amazing  feats  and 
romantic  exploits  became  a  monk  in  the  convent  of 
San  Francisco,  according  to  Gomera,  and  Las  Casas 
says  that,  when  dying,  he  asked  to  be  buried  in  the 
portal  of  the  convent,  so  that  all  who  entered  might 
tread  on  his  grave. 


NUNEZ 

The  throng  of  adventurers  infesting  the  New 
World  four  centuries  ago  contained  none  whose 
achievements  were  more  deserving  of  honor,  or  whose 
fate  was  more  deplorable,  than  those  of  the  restless 
gentleman  of  fortune,  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  dis- 
coverer of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Like  others  of  the 
impoverished  nobility  of  Spain,  he  took  the  first  op- 
portunity to  sail  to  the  land  of  promise  in  the  belief 
that  he  could  find  unlimited  fortune  on  its  golden 
shores.  Failing  to  get  the  desired  reward  in  his  voy- 
age along  Terra  Firma  with  La  Cosa  and  Bastides, 
he  tried  farming  in  Hispaniola,  but  succeeded  only  in 
getting  so  deeply  in  debt  that  he  could  not  escape 
from  his  creditors  when  he  sought  to  try  his  fortune 
on  other  voyages.  At  last  an  opportunity  came  which 
he  determined  not  to  lose.  The  Bachelor  Martin  Fer- 
nandez de  Enciso  was  about  to  sail  to  San  Sebastian, 
Darien,  with  supplies  for  Ojeda.  Notwithstanding  his 
creditors,  he  determined  to  go.  Stratagem  was  neces- 
sary, but  a  gentleman  of  fortune  is  not  usually  want- 
ing in  resources.  When  the  vessel  of  Fernandez  was 
well  out  to  sea,  a  cask  which  had  come  from  the  farm 
of  Vasco  Nunez,  and  supposed  to  be  a  contribution 
of  provisions  for  the  colony,  suddenly  burst  open,  and 
the  urbane  Nunez  stood  smiling  before  the  astonished 
Fernandez.    The  Bachelor  was  furious  at  being  thus 

93 


NUNEZ  93 

imposed  upon,  and  swore  that  he  would  set  Nunez 
ashore  on  the  first  land  they  touched.  However,  the 
accomplished  and  polished  Nunez  soon  proved  him- 
self to  be  such  a  valuable  recruit,  that  the  oath  of  Fer- 
nandez was  never  carried  into  execution.  A  more 
remarkable  destiny  was  in  store.  At  the  harbor  of 
Cartagena,  while  ashore  repairing  a  boat,  a  brigantine 
came  up,  commanded  by  Francisco  Pizarro,  with 
about  thirty  men,  all  that  remained  of  Ojeda's  settle- 
ment, to  which  Fernandez  was  repairing  with  his  sup- 
plies. After  considerable  persuasion,  Pizarro  and  his 
men  agreed  to  return,  and  San  Sebastian  once  more 
received  its  colonists,  but  they  were  again  speedily 
reduced  to  starvation.  Vasco  Nunez  suggested  the 
happy  expedient  of  possessing  themselves  of  a  pros- 
perous Indian  village  which  he  had  seen  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Gulf  of  Uraba  when  he  was  on  the  voyage 
with  Bastides.  As  soon  as  possible  San  Sebastian  was 
abandoned  for  the  new  land  of  promise.  The  village 
was  found,  the  Indians  were  dispossessed,  and  the 
promised  wealth  of  provisions  and  spoils  was  secured, 
amid  great  rejoicings  at  their  good  fortune.  The 
unhappy  natives  fought  hard,  but  could  not  withstand 
their  steel-clad  foes,  and  so  the  famous  Spanish  town 
of  Darien  came  at  once  into  existence.  All  the  coun- 
try round  was  plundered,  and  fifty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  gold  ornaments  was  soon  in  the  coflfers 
of  the  colony.  As  Spaniards  in  those  days  were  never 
known  to  live  at  peace  with  themselves  or  others,  it 
was  not  long  before  the  colony  was  rent  with  hostile 
factions,  prominent  in  which  was  the  rising  leader, 
Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa, 


94  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

In  the  midst  of  this  trouble  the  boom  of  cannon 
was  heard  across  the  bay,  and  a  vessel,  which  proved  to 
be  one  searching  for  the  settlement  of  Nicuesa,  came 
into  \new.  As  the  source  of  their  dissensions  was  in  the 
fact  that  Darien  had  been  discovered  to  be  just  inside 
the  territor}'  of  Nicuesa,  a  happy  solution  appeared 
in  the  proposition  to  send  an  invitation  with  Colme- 
nares,  commander  of  the  brigantine,  to  Nicuesa,  offer- 
ing to  him  the  governorship  of  the  colony.  But  the 
condition  of  Nicuesa  and  his  men  at  Nombre  de  Dios 
was  worse  than  that  of  the  colonists  at  Darien.  He 
had  lost  by  star\ation  all  but  a  handful  of  his  men,  and 
when  he  appeared  on  the  brigantine  with  his  woe- 
begone followers,  the  faction  under  Nunez  refused  to 
allow  them  to  land.  The  unhappy  Nicuesa  begged  to 
be  permitted  to  live  among  them,  even  as  a  prisoner 
in  irons  rather  than  to  be  compelled  to  return  to  Nom- 
bre de  Dios.  At  this  Nunez  repented  and  championed 
his  cause,  but  the  rabble  forced  him  to  depart.  He 
sailed  away  for  Hispaniola,  and  neither  Nicuesa,  the 
rival  of  Ojeda,  nor  his  crew,  was  ever  heard  of  again. 

As  Nunez  was  the  only  one  who  had  shown  him 
any  friendship,  Nicuesa.  just  before  his  departure,  pre- 
sented him  with  a  powerful  bloodhound,  named  Leon- 
cico,  which  in  the  many  tragic  scenes  that  followed, 
became  almost  as  famous  in  Spanish  annals  as  his 
master.  He  always  received  a  soldier's  share  of  the 
booty;  and,  in  this  way,  earned  for  Nunez  neariy  five 
thousand  dollars.  Hardly  had  Nicuesa  left  the  har- 
bor, when  the  man  who  had  so  humbly  sailed  a^^-ay 
from  Hispaniola  in  a  cask,  on  the  ship  which  Fernan- 
dez commanded,  was  recognized  as  the  chief  man  in 


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NUNEZ  97 

the  colony.  Fernandez  was  tried  for  the  unlawful 
usurpation  of  authority  in  a  territory  outside  of  his 
jurisdiction,  his  property  was  confiscated,  and  he  was 
imprisoned,  but  a  little  later  allowed  to  return  to 
Spain. 

A  few  unfortunates  having  been  left  by  Nicuesa  to 
hold  Nombre  de  Dios,  Nunez  sent  two  brigantines  to 
bring  them  to  Darien.  On  the  return  voyage,  two 
Spaniards,  who  had  fled  nearly  two  years  before  from 
some  punishment  of  Nicuesa,  and  had  taken  refuge 
with  Careta,  the  Cacique  of  Coyba,  were  picked  up. 
Their  story  of  the  riches  of  their  late  host  was  eagerly 
devoured,  and  a  plan  was  laid  to  ravage  the  territory 
of  the  chief.  One  of  them  went  on  to  Darien  to  act 
as  guide  for  a  party  of  invasion,  and  the  other  returned 
to  the  Cacique  to  assist  in  his  betrayal. 

In  a  few  days  Nunez  set  out  for  Coyba  with  one 
hundred  and  thirty  men.  The  Cacique  Careta  hos- 
pitably received  the  Spaniards  and  set  a  feast  before 
them.  Appearing  to  be  satisfied,  the  Spaniards  left 
their  host  with  many  expressions  of  good  will,  but 
that  night  returned,  captured  the  village,  and  took 
everything  of  value  that  could  be  found. 

*'What  have  I  done,"  Careta  asked,  when  brought 
before  Nunez,  "that  I  and  my  people  should  be 
treated  so  cruelly?  Have  I  not  welcomed  thee  and 
thy  people  as  my  brothers?  Set  us  free  and  we  will 
remain  thy  friends.  Dost  thou  doubt  me?  Then 
behold  my  daughter.  I  give  her  to  thee  as  a  pledge 
of  friendship.  Take  her  for  thy  wife  and  be  assured 
of  the  lasting  friendship  of  her  family  and  her  people." 

Nunez  recognized  the  fact  that  it  would  be  of  great 


98  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

advantage  to  him  and  the  colony  to  have  such  a  pow- 
erful native  ally.  He  therefore  accepted  the  ofifer  of 
friendship,  and  the  Indian  princess,  according  to 
Indian  usage,  became  the  wife  of  the  Spaniard.  Her 
quick  intelligence,  courage,  and  faithfulness  made  her 
his  companion  in  many  perilous  enterprises,  and  his 
loyalty  to  her  had  much  to  do  with  his  lamentable 
fate. 

According  to  the  terms  of  this  alliance,  the  enemies 
of  Careta  were  speedily  reduced,  and  the  spoils 
received  amply  repaid  the  Spaniards.  While  on  a 
friendly  visit  to  Comagre,  a  neighboring  Cacique,  the 
eldest  son  of  the  chief  presented  the  Spaniards  with 
four  thousand  ounces  of  gold  and  sixty  slaves.  A 
quarrel  began  over  the  division  of  the  gift  and  devel- 
oped into  a  general  fight.  In  great  indignation  and 
disgust,  the  Indian  prince  struck  the  pile  of  gold  to 
the  floor  with  his  fist  and  exclaimed :  "If  this  sordid 
metal  is  indeed  so  precious  in  your  eyes  that  in  the 
hope  of  finding  it  you  abandon  your  homes,  invade 
the  distant  lands  of  others,  exposing  yourselves  to  such 
sufifering  and  peril,  I  will  tell  you  of  a  land  where  you 
may  gratify  your  utmost  wishes.  Look  to  those  lofty 
mountains  in  the  south.  Their  streams  n.m  down 
through  sands  of  gold  into  a  mighty  sea.  The  kings 
who  reign  upon  its  borders  eat  from  golden  vessels 
and  drink  from  golden  bowls." 

The  vast  prospect  afforded  by  this  information  was 
such  as  to  change  the  Castilian  adventurer  into  a 
world  benefactor,  inspired  with  the  loftiest  ambitions. 
He  realized  that  if  he  found  an  ocean  beyond  the  con- 


NUNEZ  99 

tinent,  it  would  cause  him  to  be  ranked  among  the 
greatest  discoverers  of  the  earth. 

From  the  best  information  he  could  gather,  the 
power  of  the  chiefs  through  whose  territory  he  must 
pass,  was  such  that  it  would  require  a  picked  force 
of  not  less  than  twelve  hundred  men.  Full  of  the 
grand  purpose  before  him,  Nunez  returned  to  Darien 
and  dispatched  Valdivia  to  Hispaniola  with  the  royal 
fifth  of  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  in  gold  for 
the  King,  and  a  letter  to  Diego  Columbus,  asking  him 
to  use  his  influence  with  the  King  to  secure  the  neces- 
sary twelve  hundred  soldiers  with  which  to  make  his 
way  to  the  western  ocean  and  conquer  the  fabulously 
rich  kingdoms.  The  frail  bark  of  Valdivia  was  thrown 
by  a  storm  among  the  rocks  known  as  the  Vipers,  off 
the  south  coast  of  Jamaica,  where  it  went  to  pieces. 
The  crew  of  twenty  men  escaped  in.  a  boat,  but  the 
storm  drove  them  upon  the  coast  of  Yucatan,  in  the 
cannibal  province  of  Maya.  The  unfortunate  sur- 
vivors, excepting  nine,  were  sacrificed  to  the  idols 
and  then  devoured  by  the  savages.  Five  men  and  two 
women  died  natural  deaths,  and  two,  a  priest  and  a 
soldier,  escaped,  the  priest  being  rescued  eight  years 
later  by  Cortez. 

The  interval  during  which  Nunez  was  waiting  for 
the  return  of  Valdivia  was  occupied  with  several 
romantic  expeditions  for  gold,  varied  by  savage  war- 
fare against  the  hostile  natives.  The  watchfulness  and 
devotion  of  the  Indian  princess  several  times  saved 
both  Nunez  and  the  settlement  from  disastrous  con- 
spiracies made  by  the  surrounding  foes,  and  such  was 
the  deadly  determination  of  the  crafty  Indians  to  kill 


loo  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Nunez,  that  of  forty  who  had  been  sent  to  assist  in 
cultivating  his  plantation,  every  one  had  been  sworn 
to  take  his  life.  But  Leoncico,  the  bloodhound,  more 
terrible  in  his  peculiar  discernment,  devotion,  and 
bloody  prowess  than  any  Spanish  soldier,  was  always 
prowling  near  his  master,  and  not  one  of  the  Indians 
sworn  to  kill  him  had  dared  to  lift  a  hand  against 
him.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  factions  in  the  set- 
tlement became  unusually  turbulent,  Nunez  left, 
ostensibly  on  a  hunting  expedition,  but  in  reality  to 
let  them  have  the  experience  of  their  own  injudicious 
control.  Before  daybreak  he  left  the  scene  of  his 
riotous  countrymen  and  set  out  for  the  home  of  the 
Cacique  Careta,  with  the  Indian  girl  behind  him  upon 
a  horse,  and  the  great  bloodhound,  in  reality  a  species 
of  mastiff,  carefully  reconnoitering,  as  was  his  custom, 
both  sides  of  the  way  some  distance  ahead.  The  vigi- 
lance, intelligence  and  prowess  of  this  animal  was  such 
that  Nunez  was  relieved  of  all  fear  of  ambush  or 
attempts  at  assassination. 

Arriving  at  a  small  village  about  ten  miles  from 
Darien,  he  stopped  with  the  chief  for  rest  and  food. 
Although  hospitably  entertained,  he  had  no  reason 
for  any  considerable  faith  in  the  friendship  of  his  host. 
While  partaking  of  the  food  set  before  them  in  the 
Indian's  hut,  a  furious  commotion  was  heard,  mingled 
with  the  savage  snarls  of  Leoncico.  Rushing  outside, 
they  found  the  animal  standing  over  the  prostrate 
body  of  an  Indian,  whose  throat  was  torn  in  shreds, 
while  a  dozen  others  were  crouching  together  against 
the  wall  of  the  house,  with  their  spears  presented  in 
defense,  each  fearing  to  throw  his  weapon,  lest  he 


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NUNEZ  103 

become  the  next  object  of  the  animars  fury.  In  a 
few  minutes  at  least  a  hundred  armed  men  gathered 
round,  vociferously  demanding  the  death  of  the 
dreaded  dog. 

An  untouched  piece  of  meat  lay  upon  the  ground, 
near  which  a  javelin  was  sticking  in  the  ground.  One 
of  the  dog's  ears  was  slit  and  bleeding,  as  if  the  spear 
had  barely  missed  its  mark.  These  things  Nunez 
quickly  discovered,  and,  knowing  that  the  animal  never 
made  an  attack  without  cause,  he  acted  with  his  usual 
promptitude.  Seizing  his  host  by  the  throat,  he  threw 
him  to  the  ground  and  ordered  the  intelligent  dog  not 
to  allow  him  to  arise.  Knowing  that  the  least  move- 
ment meant  death,  the  chief  lay  prostrate  on  the 
ground,  a  terrified  prisoner,  while  Nunez  scattered  the 
awed  braves  with  his  sword.  After  due  investigation, 
he  became  convinced  that  an  attempt  had  been  made 
to  kill  Leoncico,  which  was  doubtless  to  be  followed 
by  an  attack  upon  himself.  The  chief  and  his  men 
so  strenuously  denied  this  that  Nunez  allowed  them 
to  believe  his  suspicions  allayed.  The  body  of  the 
slain  Indian  was  ordered  to  be  removed,  the  chief  lib- 
erated, and  the  interrupted  meal  was  resumed  as  tran- 
quilly as  if  nothing  had  occurred. 

While  he  was  leaving  the  village,  his  princess  drew 
attention  to  the  fact  that  not  an  Indian  warrior  was 
to  be  seen  except  those  of  the  chief's  household. 
However  disquieting  this  fact,  Nunez  relied  on  the 
sagacity  of  Leoncico  to  warn  him  of  any  immediate 
danger. 

Two  or  three  miles  from  the  village  the  dog  sud- 
denly struck  a  trail  quite  a  distance  from  the  main 


I04  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

road  and  followed  it  rapidly.  He  had  been  taught  to 
track  nothing  but  men,  and  his  excitement  indicated 
that  enemies  were  near.  In  a  few  minutes  his  pro- 
longed but  snappy  baying  not  far  ahead  indicated  that 
he  had  come  upon  his  game.  The  forest  was  not 
dense  on  this  part  of  the  coast,  and  they  soon  saw  an 
Indian  in  the  lower  branches  of  a  tree,  directly  in  the 
path  some  distance  ahead.  The  dog  was  twenty  or 
thirty  paces  away  from  the  Indian  and  was  walking 
back  and  forth  in  an  open  space,  as  if  defying  an 
unseen  foe.  Nunez  stopped  when  he  had  drawn  near 
enough  to  study  the  actions  of  the  dog,  while  the 
Indian  girl  sprang  from  the  horse  and  ran  to  speak 
with  the  Indian  in  the  tree.  When  she  was  half  way 
to  him  she  suddenly  paused,  turned  about,  and  started 
to  run.  At  this,  a  score  or  more  natives  came  from 
their  hiding  places  and  began  to  menace  the  dog  with 
their  weapons,  while  one  caught  the  girl  and 
attempted  to  carry  her  away.  She  had  been  taught 
to  use  the  Spanish  ladies'  stiletto,  and,  drawing  one 
from  her  cloak,  struck  her  captor  down  at  a  blow. 
Nearly  a  hundred  men  were  now  between  her  and 
Nunez,  and  she  stood  with  uplifted  weapon,  uncertain 
what  to  do. 

Nunez  called  the  dog  to  him  and  quickly  strapped 
a  kind  of  armor  upon  him,  which  did  not  impede  his 
movements,  but  effectually  protected  his  body,  neck 
and  head  from  the  arrows  and  crude  javelins  of  the 
Indians.  He  likewise  covered  his  horse  with  a  harness 
of  mail,  always  carried  for  such  an  emergency.  Just 
as  this  was  completed,  a  shower  of  arrows  rattled 
against  his  buckler.    He  drew  his  sword,  sprang  into 


NUNEZ  105 

the  saddle,  and  at  the  word  of  command  both  horse 
and  dog  sprang  eagerly  forward  to  their  well-known 
duty. 

It  was  a  hundred  men  to  one,  but  savages  were, 
even  in  such  numbers,  no  match  for  the  man  who  had 
the  aid  of  both  steel  and  beasts.  These  men  had  seen 
the  Spaniards  fight,  and  dreaded  the  ferocity  of  the 
beasts  that  helped  them,  but  they  believed  that  with 
such  numbers,  protected  by  their  native  forests,  they 
could  rid  their  country  of  this  chief  of  the  foreigners, 
and  destroy  the  famous  animals  that  gave  him  his 
power. 

At  the  first  charge  of  the  horse,  they  ran  behind 
trees  and  rained  their  missiles  upon  the  approaching 
foes.  Not  the  slightest  effect  came  of  their  efforts, 
and  one  after  another  they  shrank  from  the  mouth  of 
the  dog,  only  to  fall  upon  the  still  more  fatal  sword. 
At  a  signal  the  frantic  assailants  rushed  upon  Nunez 
and  tried  to  drag  him  from  his  horse.  The  sword 
flashed  back  and  forth  like  a  weaver's  shuttle, 
and  blood  sprang  from  the  throats  and  breasts  of  fall- 
ing men.  But  even  the  dying  clung  to  the  Spaniard's 
legs,  and  he  seemed  about  to  be  drawn  to  the  ground, 
when  the  savage  mouthings  of  the  dog  in  front, 
accompanied  by  the  flash  of  the  woman's  stiletto  upon 
naked  backs,  opened  a  way  and  the  horse  plunged 
forward  out  of  the  bloody  mass.  But  it  was  only  for 
the  rider  to  return  to  the  charge,  and  in  a  moment 
more  the  battle  of  the  naked  pygmies  against  the  steel- 
clad  giant  ceased.  They  ran  howling  in  every  direc- 
tion, as  if  they  were  flying  in  helpless  terror  from  some 
implacable  monster. 


k 


io6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Nunez  was  contented  to  let  them  escape,  the  armor 
was  taken  from  horse  and  dog,  the  girl  resumed  her 
place  behind  him  on  the  horse,  and  they  went  on  to 
their  destination. 

Within  a  fortnight  a  messenger  arrived  in  haste 
from  Darien,  praying  Nunez  to  return  and  suppress 
the  anarchy  that  had  reigned  since  his  departure.  This 
was  done,  and  then  the  evil  news  came  that  the  Bach- 
elor Fernandez  had  obtained  at  the  court  of  Spain 
a  verdict  for  heavy  damages  against  Nunez,  and  that 
an  order  had  been  procured  commanding  him  to 
repair  at  once  to  Castile  to  answer  for  the  death  of 
Nicuesa.  His  exalted  ambitions  were  about  to  be 
struck  down,  and  his  brilliant  opportunities  forever 
lost.  But  the  royal  order  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  his 
only  hope  lay  in  taking  advantage  of  the  delay.  He 
hastily  got  together  one  hundred  and  ninety  of  the 
most  hardy  and  courageous  men,  a  number  of  friendly 
Indians,  and  a  score  of  bloodhounds,  over  which 
Leoncico  was  solemnly  appointed  captain.  With  this 
force  he  set  out  September  i,  15 13,  to  accomplish 
what  he  believed  would  be  a  difficult  task  with  a  thou- 
sand well-equipped  horsemen.  He  went  by  water  to 
the  home  of  the  Cacique  Careta,  who  gave  him  guides 
and  additional  men.  Careta's  daughter  refused  to  be 
left  behind,  and  insisted  on  sharing  the  perils  of  the 
expedition  with  the  Spanish  chief,  whom  she  rever- 
enced as  her  husband  according  to  Indian  law.  Leon- 
cico marched  at  her  side,  as  if  conscious  that  she  was 
in  his  special  charge.  In  the  perils  of  the  forest  and 
during  the  battles  with  hostile  natives,  Leoncico  val- 


H 
H 


s 


NUNEZ  109 

orously  performed  his  share,  but  he  never  forgot  or 
neglected  his  mistress. 

Half  of  the  force  were  left  to  guard  the  brigantine 
and  piraguas  in  which  they  came  to  the  province  of 
Careta,  and  with  the  meager  remainder,  Nunez  pen- 
etrated to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  range,  beyond 
which  lay  the  great  discovery  which  was  the  object  ol 
his  high  ambition.  Only  sixty-seven  Spaniards  were 
able  to  take  up  the  march  to  the  summit.  After  a 
night's  rest  the  little  band  set  forth  at  daylight,  Sep- 
tember 26,  1 5 13.  At  10  o'clock  they  emerged  from 
the  forest  upon  the  bare  top  near  the  summit.  Here 
Nunez  advanced  alone  to  an  eminence  from  which 
his  Indian  guides  told  him  the  ocean  could  be  seen. 

The  sublime  prospect  of  the  great  sea  inspired  him 
with  the  most  exalted  emotions.  He  fell  upon  his 
knees  and  gave  grateful  thanks  for  having  been  made 
the  humble  means  of  such  a  glorious  discovery.  His 
followers  were  then  called  to  share  with  him  the  gor- 
geous spectacle  of  sparkling  rivers  and  gleaming  sea. 
They  were  thrown  into  religious  transports  at  the 
splendor  of  the  scene  and  the  glory  of  the  achieve- 
ment. In  prayers,  songs,  and  shouts  of  praise,  they 
embraced  one  another  and  swore  to  live  and  die  the 

&^   devoted  followers  of  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa. 

"  The  commander  then  called  upon  all  to  witness  that 
in  the  name  of  the  sovereigns  of  Castile,  he  took  pos- 
session forever  of  that  sea,  with  all  the  islands  it  con- 
tained and  all  the  shores  it  touched.  A  week  later  he 
succeeded  in  passing  down  the  long  mountain  slope 
through  the  territory  of  warlike  Indians  to  the  shore 

Bk   of  the  sea.    Wading  into  the  water  with  his  drawn 


no  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

sword,  he  declared  that  the  ocean  and  all  that  it  con- 
tained or  touched  was  annexed  forever  to  Spain,  with 
all  the  appertaining  kingdoms  or  provinces  by  what- 
ever right  or  title,  ancient  or  modern,  in  times  past, 
present  or  to  come,  so  long  as  the  world  endured,  and 
until  the  final  day  of  judgment  of  all  mankind.  It  is 
a  matter  of  curious  comment  that  the  last  shred  of 
all  such  Spanish  claims  vanished  in  the  last  year  of 
the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Two  chiefs  on  different  occasions  told  Nunez  of 
the  rich  countries  toward  the  south,  and  had  he  lived 
he  would  doubtless  have  been  the  conqueror  of  Peru, 
instead  of  Pizarro,  who  listened  to  the  stories  and 
profited  by  the  downfall  of  his  leader. 

After  ravaging  all  the  territory  within  their  reach 
and  undergoing  the  greatest  hardships,  the  adventur- 
ous band  of  Spaniards,  with  a  vast  quantity  of  booty, 
reached  Darien,  January  19,  15 14. 

Meanwhile  the  King,  greatly  incensed  against 
Nunez,  appointed  Don  Pedrarias  Davila  Governor  of 
Darien,  and  so  great  was  the  desire  for  adventure  in 
the  new  country  that  Pedrarias  soon  had  two  thou- 
sand men  and  a  fleet  of  fifteen  ships.  He  was  ordered 
to  proceed  at  once  to  Darien,  take  hold  of  the  affairs 
of  the  colony,  and  try  Vasco  Nunez  for  his  alleged 
crimes.  Accordingly  he  embarked  for  the  New 
World  only  a  few  days  before  the  tardy  messengers 
of  Nunez  arrived,  bringing  news  of  the  discoveries 
and  achievements  that  should  have  made  him,  next  to 
Columbus,  the  idol  of  the  Spanish  nation. 

When  Pedrarias  arrived  at  Darien,  Nunez  wel- 
comed him  with  the  full  measure  of  respect  and  obedi- 


NUNEZ  in 

ence.  Like  most  Spanish  Governors,  Pedrarias 
desired  to  be  free  of  all  rivals,  and  he  took  the  most 
astute  course  to  that  end.  Nunez  was  too  popular 
and  powerful  to  be  proceeded  with  harshly  or  hur- 
riedly, and  Pedrarias  played  the  part  of  intriguing 
politician,  a  hypocracy  unknown  to  Nunez.  Under 
the  pending  investigation,  he  was  kept  at  home  while 
important  enterprises  and  expeditions  were  given  to 
favorites  of  the  Governor.  Seeing  that  he  was  to  be 
thus  ruined  and  his  discoveries  turned  to  the  profit 
and  honor  of  others,  he  secretly  sent  Andres  Garabito 
to  Cuba  for  the  purpose  of  securing  an  equipment  for 
an  expedition  across  the  isthmus  from  Nombre  de 
Dios  to  the  shores  of  the  Southern  Ocean.  If  his 
plans  had  not  been  constantly  defeated  through  the 
enmity  of  Pedrarias,  in  this  period  he  would  have  dis- 
covered and  doubtless  conquered  Peru,  making  allies 
and  friends  of  the  natives  instead  of  using  such  cru- 
elty and  slaughter  as  marked  the  course  of  Pizarro. 
Nunez  was  remarkable  for  the  respect  and  friend- 
liness he  inspired  among  the  Indians.  It  was  not  long 
after  he  obtained  full  control  over  Darien  that  a  Span- 
iard could  go  unarmed  within  a  day's  journey  with- 
out the  slightest  fear  of  harm,  but  soon  after  the  rule 
of  Pedrarias  began,  the  wanton  cruelty  of  his  partisans 
was  such  that,  according  to  Las  Casas,  the  people 
were  at  all  times  harassed  with  the  most  distressing 
alarm.  Every  tree  seemed  to  shelter  a  deadly  arrow, 
darkness  brought  forth  a  thrust  of  the  javelin  from 
every  isolated  spot  in  the  town,  and  dark  spots  on  the 
plains  or  distant  hillsides  became  hordes  of  revenge^ 
ful  savages  about  to  overwhelm  them. 


112  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Meantime,  Andres  Garabito  returned  from  Cuba 
with  a  ship  and  seventy  men,  equipped  for  the  south- 
ern expedition.  He  hovered  off  the  coast  and  secretly 
sent  word  to  Nunez,  but  the  watchful  Pedrarias  heard 
of  it  and  forbade  him,  under  arrest,  from  leaving  the 
town.  Garabito  was  compelled  to  go  on  to  Nombre 
de  Dios  alone  and  disband  his  expedition. 

Pedrarias  saw  that  the  popular  power  was  steadily 
slipping  from  his  grasp  into  the  hands  of  Nunez.  The 
Franciscan  friar,  Juan  de  Quevedo,  who  had  come 
over  with  Pedrarias  as  bishop  of  Darien,  although  his 
constant  companion  and  adviser,  had  been  at  all  times 
the  friend  of  Nunez.  In  this  deplorable  condition  of 
the  colony,  the  good  bishop  devised  a  plan  w^hich  he 
fondly  hoped  would  secure  better  government  and 
bring  peace  to  the  disorganized  and  suffering  com- 
munity. 

**Why  drive  a  man  to  be  your  deadliest  enemy," 
said  the  diplomatic  bishop  to  the  envious  and  vindic- 
tive Governor,  "when  there  is  a  way  to  make  him 
your  most  powerful  friend?  You  have  in  Spain  several 
daughters,  one  of  whom  you  can  make  his  wife.  Thus 
you  will  have  a  son-in-law  who  vdll  bring  prosperity  to 
your  family  and  whose  achievements  will  redound  to 
the  splendor  of  your  administration." 

The  wily  peacemaker  then  represented  to  Nunez 
that  further  antagonism  between  him  and  the  Gov- 
ernor meant  the  ruin  of  both  and  the  destruction  of 
the  colony.  Accordingly,  articles  of  agreement  were 
drawn  up,  specifying  that  the  Governor's  daughter, 
then  in  Spain,  should  be  sent  for  at  once  and  married 
to  Nunez  on  her  arrival  in  Darien.       Nunez,  now 


NUNEZ  113 

relieved  of  all  impediments,  believed  the  time  had 
come  for  the  realization  of  his  dreams  for  the  explora- 
tion and  conquest  of  the  fabulously  wealthy  nations 
of  the  south.  He  began  this  enterprise  with  the  pro- 
digious feat  of  transporting  across  the  Isthmus  of 
Darien  the  material  for  the  construction  of  the  brigan- 
tines  in  which  he  was  to  sail  on  the  ocean  he  had  dis- 
covered. This  Herculean  task  caused  Herrera  to 
exclaim:  ''Only  Spaniards  could  have  conceived  or 
persisted  in  such  an  incredible  undertaking,  and  no 
commander  in  the  New  World  but  Vasco  Nunez  could 
have  conducted  it  to  a  successful  issue." 

While  at  the  Isla  Rica,  news  came  that  Pedrarias 
had  been  superseded  in  the  governorship  by  Lope  de 
Sosa.  As  this  might  materially  affect  his  plans,  he 
entrusted  Andres  Garabito-,  his  former  agent  to  Cuba, 
with  the  mission  to  find  out  if  it  were  true.  Unknown 
to  Nunez,  Garabito  had  become  his  vindictive  enemy 
for  having  been  rebuked  severely  in  return  for  some 
derogatory  remarks  he  had  made  against  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Indian  princess,  who  had  remained  with  her 
father,  Careta,  since  the  expedition  of  discovery  to  the 
ocean.  Before  leaving  on  this  last  expedition,  Gara- 
bito had  written  to  Pedrarias  that  Nunez  was  too  much 
infatuated  with  the  Indian  girl  ever  to  marry  his 
daughter,  and  that  the  agreement  had  been  entered 
into  merely  for  the  sake  of  gaining  time  in  the  scheme 
to  overthrow  the  Governor. 

When  Garabito  reached  Ada,  near  Darien,  he  found 
that  the  new  Governor  had  died  as  his  ship  entered  the 
harbor,  and  Pedrarias  was  more  strongly  intrenched 
in  power  than  ever.    He  caused  himself  to  be  arrested 


114  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

on  suspicion,  and  in  a  confession  accused  Nunez  of 
treasonable  schemes  against  Pedrarias  and  the  King. 
Burning  with  revengeful  enmity,  the  Governor  sent  a 
friendly  message  to  Nunez  to  return  to  Ada  for  an 
important  conference,  and  at  the  same  time  ordered 
Francisco  Pizarro  with  a  strong  force  to  meet  him  and 
take  him  prisoner  at  any  cost. 

Unsuspicious  of  any  danger,  Nunez  set  out  for  Ada, 
and  as  he  neared  that  place,  met  Pizarro,  who  made  the 
required  arrest. 

"How  is  this,  Francisco?"  he  exclaimed.  "Is  this 
your  accustomed  greeting?" 

In  the  trial  that  followed  it  took  little  trouble  on 
the  part  of  Pedrarias  to  secure  a  verdict  of  death.  The 
friends  of  the  great  discoverer  appealed  to  the  Gov- 
ernor for  mercy. 

"No!"  vindictively  returned  the  implacable  Pedra- 
rias, "If  he  has  merited  the  verdict  of  death,  let  him 
suffer  the  penalty." 

Accordingly  Vasco  Nunez  and  several  of  his  com- 
panions were  publicly  executed  in  the  open  square  of 
Ada. 

It  is  said  that  the  Indian  princess  was  kept  in  igno- 
rance of  what  was  transpiring  until  she  got  a  hint  that 
Nunez  was  at  Ada,  in  trouble.  Inspired  with  all  the 
anxieties  of  her  faithful  love,  she  started  at  once  to 
help  him.  On  entering  the  town,  she  saw  his  head 
upon  a  high  pole  in  the  public  square.  Wild  with  hor- 
ror, she  attempted  to  take  it  down,  when  she  was  shot 
by  a  soldier  and  her  body  thrown  to  the  dogs. 


» 


MARINA 

A  singular  circumstance  is  connected  with  the  own- 
ership of  the  Philippines  which  turns  attention  back 
to  the  romantic  conquest  of  Mexico.  Although  the 
Philippines  were  discovered  by  Magellan,  their  occu- 
pation for  more  than  three  centuries  was  distinctly 
the  result  of  Mexican  enterprise,  as  was  that  of  Cali- 
fornia. Yet  when  Mexico  obtained  its  independence 
it  took  California  without  question  and  laid  no  claim 
to  the  Philippines.  The  title  of  the  American  posses- 
sions lay  in  the  hands  of  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  and 
were  no  part  of  the  integral  territory  of  Spain. 

Mexico  itself  was  discovered  through  the  enterprise 
of  Velasquez,  Governor  of  Cuba,  who  secured  the  pre- 
liminary equipment  for  Cortes  and  gave  him  his  com- 
mission. Cortes  severed  his  relations  with  Velasquez, 
and  on  his  own  responsibility  made  New  Spain  a 
princely  gift  to  Charles  V.  The  royal  fifth  which  the 
sovereigns  received  in  their  own  right  was  a  kind  of 
rental  tax  in  the  farming-out  process,  which  fastened 
such  leeches  and  cormorants  upon  the  Spanish  col- 
onies. 

The  New  World  attracted  only  such  adventurers  as 
had  no  hope  for  fortune  or  glory  in  the  vast  European 
dominions  of  the  Spanish  monarch.  Cortes  was  one 
of  the  most  desperate  of  these,  and  when  he  set  sail 

115 


ii6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

for  Yucatan,  most  of  his  equipment  and  authority  con- 
sisted in  what  he  had  seized  by  sheer  audacity. 

When  Cordova  returned  from  an  expedition  to 
Yucatan  a  few  months  previous  to  the  expedition  of 
Cortes,  he  told  a  curious  story  of  the  word  Castilian 
having  been  frequently  repeated  very  distinctly  to  him 
by  the  natives,  but  he  could  not  understand  what  they 
meant.  It  was  finally  decided  that  some  castaway 
Spaniards  might  be  among  them,  and  Cortes  was 
instructed  to  make  a  reasonable  search.  Inquiry 
among  the  Indians  at  the  Island  of  Cozumel,  near  the 
coast  of  Yucatan,  confirmed  this  belief  so  much  that 
a  letter  was  written  and  an  Indian  prevailed  upon  to 
carry  it  to  the  alleged  white  captives,  telling  them  to 
appear  at  a  certain  point  on  the  coast  and  they  would 
be  ransomed.  The  Indian  messenger  hid  the  letter  in 
his  hair  and  set  forth  upon  his  dubious  errand. 
Through  the  imperfect  medium  of  sign  language  and 
the  little  Spanish  learned  by  a  Yucatan  Indian  brought 
to  Cuba  by  Grijalva,  no  intelligent  communication 
could  yet  be  established. 

Neither  messenger  nor  captive  white  men  appeared, 
and  the  fleet  left  the  island.  Not  far  away  one  of  the 
vessels  sprung  a  leak,  and  the  fleet  was  compelled  to 
return  to  the  island.  As  they  were  again  about  to  set 
sail,  a  canoe  was  seen  approaching  from  the  mainland 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  One  of  the  ship's  boats 
was  ordered  to  intercept  it,  surprise  the  occupants,  and 
capture  them.  At  the  first  sight  of  the  Spanish  boat, 
the  Indians  sprang  into  the  water  with  such  precipi- 
tation that  their  canoe  was  overturned.  All  reached 
the  shore  and  hid  themselves  in  the  underbrush, 


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MARINA  119 

excepting  one,  who  stood  on  the  beach  and  boldly 
awaited  the  Spaniards. 

They  noticed  wonderingly  not  only  his  absence  of 
fear,  but  that  he  had  a  bit  of  a  stocking  tied  about  one 
leg.  A  still  smaller  piece  of  European  cloth  was  tied 
about  his  waist.  From  his  neck  there  hung  the  tat- 
tered remnant  of  a  prayer  book.  When  their  boat 
touched  the  shore  near  him  he  fell  upon  his  knees, 
spat  upon  the  sand,  and  rubbed  some  of  the  moistened 
earth  upon  his  forehead  and  over  his  heart.  Then  he 
arose  and  tried  to  speak,  but  they  could  not  under- 
stand his  strange  words.  At  last  they  distinguished 
the  word  Castilian,  and  they  realized  that  one  of  their 
captive  countrymen  stood  before  them.  He  called 
his  Indian  companions  to  him,  and  together  they  were 
taken  before  Cortes. 

"Which  is  the  Spaniard?"  asked  the  commander, 
unable  to  distinguish  between  them.  The  captive 
kneeled  at  his  feet,  and  Cortes  threw  his  cloak  over 
the  naked  shoulders.  But  it  was  a  long  time  before  he 
could  endure  the  touch  of  clothing  or  the  taste  of  the 
Spanish  food,  and  several  days  elapsed  before  he  had 
recovered  his  mother  tongue  enough  to  make  his  story 
intelligible.  It  was  then  learned  that  his  name  was 
Geronimo  de  Aguilar,  and  that  he  had  been  a  priest 
with  Valdivia.  Nearly  nine  years  before  they  had 
been  wrecked  upon  the  Viper  rocks  south  of  Jamaica, 
and  the  entire  crew,  escaping  in  their  small  boat,  were 
driven  upon  the  coast  of  Maya,  in  Yucatan.  Valdivia 
and  all  the  others  but  the  priest, -Aguilar  and  a  sailor, 
Gonsalo  Guerrero,  were  sacrificed  to  the  idols  and 
eaten  by  the  priests  and  worshipers.    Another  account, 


I20  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

perhaps  more  reliable,  says  that  seven  of  the  men  and 
the  two  women  died  natural  deaths.  However,  the 
most  generally  accepted  historian  of  this  episode  says 
that  the  two  who  escaped  the  sacrifice  hid  behind  the 
smoke  of  the  altar;  and,  while  the  priests  were  search- 
ing for  them,  escaped  into  the  woods.  They  continued 
their  flight  until  they  came  into  the  territory  of 
another  Cacique,  before  whom  they  were  taken  by 
some  Indians,  and  who  made  them  his  slaves. 

Aguilar  kept  his  priestly  vows,  but  the  chief,  in  curi- 
osity, caused  him  to  be  tempted  beyond  all  the  trials 
of  St.  Anthony.  Guerrero  married  into  the  chief's 
household,  and  in  time  became  so  renowned  for  his 
prowess  in  v^r  that  he  was  raised  next  to  the  Cacique 
in  authority  and  wealth. 

Aguilar  received  the  letter  of  Cortes  in  due  time 
to  reach  the  appointed  place,  but  he  hastened  to  Guer- 
rero, who  lived  some  distance  away,  in  order  that  he, 
too,  could  have  the  glorious  opportunity  to  return  to 
his  countrymen.  To  the  astonishment  of  the  priest, 
his  companion  in  captivity  refused  at  once  to  go. 
Aguilar  pleaded  in  vain. 

''Brother  Aguilar,"  said  Guerrero-,  "I  have  united 
myself  here  to  one  of  the  women  of  this  country,  by 
whom  I  have  three  children;  and  I  am,  during  war 
time,  as  good  as  Cacique  or  chief.  Return  to  our 
countrymen.  Go!  and  may  God  be  with  you.  As 
for  myself,  I  could  not  again  appear  among  them  with 
comfort.  My  face  is  disfigured  according  to  Indian 
custom.  My  ears  are  pierced  and  my  lip  turned  down. 
What  would  my  countrymen  say  to  see  me  in  this 
attire !    I  could  not  endure  their  mirth.     Only  look 


MARINA  131 

at  my  children.  What  lovely  little  creatures  they  are 
growing  to  be.  How  could  I  leave  them !  Pray  give 
me  for  them  some  of  the  glass  beads  our  countrymen 
sent  you.  I  will  say  they  are  presents  sent  to  my  chil- 
dren from  my  brethren  in  my  fatherland.'* 

Aguilar  could  not  prevail  over  Guerrero's  resolu- 
tion, and  was  compelled  tO'  bid  him  a  sorrowful  adieu. 

De  Solis,  the  Spanish  historian,  in  speaking  of  the 
refusal  of  Guerrero,  says :  ''Guerrero-,  having  married 
a  rich  Indian,  by  whom  he  had  three  or  four  children, 
excused  his  stay  by  his  love  for  them,  pretending 
natural  affection,  as  a  reason  why  he  should  not  aban- 
don those  deplorable  conveniences,  which  with  him 
weighed  more  than  honor  or  religion.  We  do'  not  find 
that  any  other  Spaniard,  in  the  whole  course  of  these 
conquests,  committed  the  like  crime ;  nor  was  the  name 
of  this  wretch  worthy  to  be  remembered  in  this  his- 
tory. But,  being  found  in  the  writings  of  others,  it 
could  not  be  concealed.  His  example  serves  to  show 
us  the  weakness  of  nature,  and  into  what  an  abyss  of 
misery  a  man  may  fall,  when  God  has  abandoned  him." 

A  heavy  ransom  of  hawk-bells  and  glass  beads  was 
paid  for  the  priest  and  he  was  free,  but  the  interpreter 
so  essential  to  Cortes  was  not  yet  provided,  as  Aguilar 
could  speak  only  the  language  used  in  the  limited  ter- 
ritory of  Yucatan.  However,  this  pressing  need  was 
soon  supplied  in  a  most  unexpected  and  romantic  man- 
ner. 

Cortes  left  Cozumel,  went  around  the  coast  of  Yuca- 
tan and  landed  his  men  at  the  Grijalva  River  in  New 
Spain.  With  about  five  hundred  Spaniards,  two  hun- 
dred Cuban  Indians,  twelve  horses  and  ten  small  brass 


122  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

cannon,  he  marched  on  into  the  interior.  The  inhabi- 
tants fled  before  him  until  he  came  to  the  province  of 
Tabasco.  There  his  first  battle  was  fought  with  the 
natives,  and  he  accomplished  their  complete  subjec- 
tion. Among  the  presents  which  they  brought  to 
their  conqueror  were  twenty  slave  girls,  whose  work 
was  to  grind  corn  with  a  stone  pestle  and  mortar, 
which  they  carried  constantly  with  them  as  a  badge 
of  their  servitude.  One  of  them  was  of  such  command- 
ing presence,  intellectual  countenance  and  truly  royal 
beauty  that  she  attracted  at  once  the  attention  of 
Cortes. 

While  trying  to  communicate  with  her  by  signs, 
she  spoke  some  words  that  caused  Aguilar  to  inter- 
rupt the  commander  in  great  excitement.  He  under- 
stood her  language.  Communication  was  thus  estab- 
lished with  the  natives,  and  her  remarkable  story  was 
learned.  As  it  afterward  occurred,  she  became  a  New 
World  Joseph  to  her  guilty  people. 

She  was  the  only  child  of  the  Cacique  of  Painala, 
tributary  to  the  Montezumas.  When  she  was  quite 
young  her  father  died  and  her  mother  remarried.  By 
inheritance  she  was  the  chief  of  the  territory,  but  a 
son  being  born  to  her  mother,  its  step-father  wanted 
it  to  become  the  Cacique.  In  order  to  bring  this 
about,  it  was  necessary  to  dispose  of  the  princess,  and 
she  was  secretly  sold  to  some  Indians  going  into  Yuca- 
tan. It  was  given  out  that  she  was  dead,  and  the  guilty 
ones  expected  never  to  hear  of  her  again.  Some 
years  later  she  was  sold  to  the  Tabascans,  who  gave 
her  to  Cortes.  The  Spaniards  could  talk  to  Aguilar, 
he  could  interpret  it  to  the  princess  in  the  language 


MARINA  123 

of  Yucatan,  and  she  in  turn  made  it  known  to  the 
Tabascans  and  Mexicans.  Thus  the  Old  World  was 
put  into  communication  with  the  New. 

Cortes  was  a  handsome  man,  of  the  most  pleasing 
demeanor,  and  the  Indian  girl  soon  loved  him  with  a 
fervor  and  fidelity  which  made  her  the  constant  com- 
panion of  his  most  desperate  sufferings  and  perilous 
campaigns.  Historians  agree  that  without  her,  Cortes 
would  never  have  been  the  conqueror  of  the  Monte- 
zumas. 

She  readily  accepted  Christianity  and  was  baptized 
under  the  name  Marina,  being  the  first  Christian  con- 
vert on  the  continent  of  North  America. 

''Beautiful  as  a  goddess!"  exclaimed  Camargo  in 
his  history  of  the  conquest,  and  all  who  saw  her  were 
unstinted  in  their  praise  of  her  dignity,  kindness  and 
grace.  She  was  always  faithful  to  the  Spaniards, 
regardless  of  the  shameful  betrayal  which  Cortes 
imposed  upon  her  unenlightened  spirit.  She  was  of 
incalculable  service  to  the  conquerors.  Several  times 
by  her  keen  watchfulness  and  intelligent  understand- 
ing of  the  natives,  she  saved  them  from  disaster  and 
destruction.  Many  Indian  ballads  sing  her  virtues, 
and  Melinche,  as  she  was  fondly  known  to  the  Aztecs, 
is  the  familiar  spirit  of  Chepultepec.  In  a  little  time 
she  learned  Castilian,  and  became  the  indispensable 
interpreter  and  secretary  of  Cortes.  He  never 
appeared  in  public  without  her  by  his  side,  and  the 
only  name  by  which  he  was  known  over  all  New  Spain 
was  Molinche,  which  meant  lord  of  Marina. 

After  defeating  the  Tabascans,  Cortes  plunged 
onward  through  the  hosts  of  warriors  that  disputed 


124  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

his  progress.  With  every  victory  he  increased  his 
strength  by  making  friends  and  allies  of  the  conquered 
nation.  Montezuma,  at  the  height  of  Aztec  glory  and 
power,  watched  the  coming  of  the  strangers  with 
gloomy  foreboding,  yet  hoping  that  on  the  way  they 
would  meet  destruction. 

At  Cholula,  aptly  called  the  Rome  of  Anahuac, 
because  of  its  being  the  center  of  the  Aztec  religion, 
a  conspiracy  was  formed  which  meant  inevitable 
destruction  to  the  invaders.  This  was  the  last  city  on 
the  road  to  the  great  capital  where  lived  the  lord  of 
all  New  Spain,  in  unapproachable  dignity  and  splen- 
dor. Every  instinct  of  religion,  home  and  nation  made 
it  imperative  that  the  unappeasable  strangers  should 
be  allowed  to  come  nO'  nearer  to  the  capital,  and  a 
crushing  conspiracy  for  their  destruction  was  com- 
pleted. 

Marina,  always  alert,  keen  and  resourceful,  became 
suspicious  that  treachery  was  meditated.  A  son  of  one 
of  the  principal  chiefs  became  greatly  enamored  of  her, 
and  so  caused  his  mother  to  go  to  Marina  and  prevail 
on  her  to  leave  the  Spaniards,  as  the  gods  had  decreed 
their  destruction.  As  if  in  great  alarm,  Marina  went 
to  her  room  and  brought  away  her  most  prized  treas- 
ures. Then  the  chief's  wife,  in  greater  confidence, 
told  her  that  twenty  thousand  of  the  emperor's  best 
troops  were  encamped  near,  ready  to  join  the  Cholu- 
lans  in  a  sudden  assault  upon  the  handful  of  Spaniards, 
who  were  hopelessly  cooped  up  in  the  narrow  streets 
of  the  city. 

Marina  returned  to  get  the  rest  of  her  personal 
effects,  during  which  she  managed  to  give  Cortes  the 


MARINA  125 

startling  news.  She  then  returned  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  more  information  from  the  confiding  Cho- 
lulan. 

With  his  accustomed  promptness,  the  commander 
seized  three  visiting  chiefs  and  caused  them  to  confess, 
amidst  their  protestations  of  innocence,  that  the  Cho- 
lulans  were  planning  the  destruction  of  their  guests. 
This  discovery  was  all  the  more  alarming  as  Cortes, 
believing  in  the  friendship  of  the  Cholulans,  had 
allowed  himself  to  be  quartered  at  a  great  disadvan- 
tage, where  his  accustomed  tactics  could  not  be 
employed.  This  showed  that  the  natives  began  to 
understand  the  invaders.  The  multitudes  might  no 
longer  be  appalled  by  the  unknown  thunder  of  artil- 
lery. Heretofore  the  hosts  in  the  rear  of  the  fighting 
men  heard  the  terrifying  roar  and  saw  the  black  clouds 
of  smoke  arising,  under  which  their  men  fell  like  grass 
before  the  hurricane.  Suddenly  monsters  half  animal 
and  half  man  came  tearing  through  the  broken  ranks 
of  their  warriors,  and  the  panic  of  a  dreadful  fear  seized 
them  as  they  fled  from  before  such  all-devouring  mon- 
sters. European  discipline  had  taken  advantage  of 
every  weakness,  and  unresisted  butchery  ensued  as 
long  as  the  slaughtering  arms  could  lift  lance  and 
sword,  or  while  there  was  a  flying  or  groveling  foe  to 
be  seen.  Closer  contact,  however,  had  shown  the 
Spaniards  to  be  only  ordinary  men,  using  superior  skill 
and  better  weapons.  Awe  was  no  longer  an  ally  of  the 
invaders,  and  the  natives  had  resorted  to  stratagem. 
Cortes  learned  that  the  time  set  for  the  attack  on  him 
was  to  begin  as  he  started  to  leave  the  city,  and  while 
his  men  were  separated  in  the  narrow  streets.    A  force 


126  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

of  about  forty  thousand  men  had  been  selected  for  this 
purpose,  and  they  were  at  hand  ready  for  the  com- 
mand. 

As  if  falling  more  completely  into  the  trap,  Cortes 
called  the  chief  priests,  through  whom  most  of  the 
important  business  was  transacted,  and  told  them  that, 
being  about  to  leave,  he  wanted  to  meet  the  chiefs  to 
bid  them  farewell,  at  the  same  time  asking  to  be  pro- 
vided with  an  escort  of  two  thousand  men. 

The  great  public  court  where  the  Spanish  troops 
were  quartered  was  surrounded  partly  by  high  build- 
ings and  the  remainder  by  a  wall,  through  which  there 
vv^ere  three  wide  gates.  Early  the  following  morning 
Cortes  placed  his  cannon  on  the  outside  of  the  gates, 
so  as  to  sweep  the  avenues  leading  to  the  court,  and 
drew  up  his  men  in  order  at  the  advantageous  points. 
Hardly  was  this  done  when  the  chiefs  appeared  with 
double  the  men  required  and  entered  the  enclosure. 
Cortes  came  up  quickly  to  the  chiefs,  with  Marina  by 
his  side,  and  through  her  accused  them  of  the  treach- 
ery they  were  about  to  commit.  They  were  struck 
with  awe  and  terror  at  the  power  which  the  white  chief 
had  to  read  even  their  thoughts. 

"I  will  now  make  such  an  example  of  your  treach- 
ery," said  Cortes,  ''that  the  report  of  it  shall  ring 
throughout  the  wide  borders  of  Anahuac." 

This  was  the  signal  for  the  firing  of  an  arquebuse, 
and  in  an  instant  volley  after  volley  of  guns  and  cross- 
bows poured  into  the  mass  of  natives  in  the  center. 
They  tried  to  escape  through  the  gates,  but  impreg- 
nable rows  of  lances  thrust  them  back.  They  tried  to 
climb  the  walls,  but  their  bodies  were  only  so  much 


MARINA  127 

better  targets  for  the  Spaniards.  Others  tried  to  hide 
under  the  bodies  of  the  slain,  but  the  ruthless  swords 
soon  found  them  out. 

Hearing  the  firing  of  cannon,  the  Tlascalan  allies, 
who  had  not  been  permitted  by  the  Cholulans  to  enter 
the  city,  bound  wreathes  of  sedge  around  their  heads, 
so  that  they  could  be  distinguished  from  the  enemy 
by  the  Spaniards,  and  furiously  fell  upon  the  forces 
guarding  the  entrance  to  the  city.  The  slaughter  pro- 
ceeded like  a  conflagration,  excepting  for  a  strong 
force  under  the  priests,  which  took  possession  of  the 
great  pyramidal  temple.  This  force  could  be  reached 
only  by  the  ascent  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  broad 
steps  running  around  the  four  sides  of  the  lofty  pyra- 
mid. 

In  the  face  of  stones,  darts,  and  blazing  arrows,  the 
Spaniards  scaled  the  steps  of  the  vast  edifice,  and,  with 
the  burning  arrows,  set  fire  to  the  citadel  containing 
the  Cholulan  warriors.  Quarter  was  offered  to  them, 
but  only  one  man  accepted  it,  the  others  perished  in 
the  flames  or  threw  themselves  over  the  parapet  and 
were  dashed  to  pieces  far  below.  Hardly  a  native  war- 
rior was  left  alive,  and  the  city  was  given  up  to  unre- 
stricted pillage. 

Cortes  had  at  all  times  expressed  to  the  Aztec  am- 
bassadors the  profoundest  respect  for  Montezuma,  so 
that  when  the  Spaniards  were  nearing  his  capital,  he 
prepared  to  receive  them  in  a  splendor  that  rivaled 
the  Orient  in  magnificent  ceremony.  Marina  rode  by 
the  side  of  Cortes,  and  by  her  eloquence  and  address, 
completely  won  the  susceptible  heart  of  the  Aztec 
King. 


k 


128  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

The  Spaniards  had  a  saying,  "He  has  not  seen  any- 
thing who  has  not  seen  Granada,"  and  yet  all  agreed 
that  the  Aztec  capital  was  more  magnificent  than  Gra- 
nada. In  the  center  of  this  city  of  half  a  million  inhab- 
itants, Cortes,  with  all  his  men  and  allies,  was  installed 
by  the  unbounded  hospitality  of  Montezuma.  A 
Spanish  historian  states  that  if  a  single  horse  had  been 
known  to  them,  even  as  a  captive  in  one  of  the  great 
museums  of  the  capital,  many  Spanish  armies  would 
have  perished  before  the  city  could  have  been  taken. 

When  Cortes  decided  that  the  easiest  way  to  make 
himself  master  of  the  city  was  to  hold  the  life  of  Mon- 
tezuma in  his  hand,  he  found  that  the  Oriental  seclu- 
sion of  the  Emperor  furnished  a  ready  opportunity. 
Quietly,  and  in  such  numbers  as  not  to  arouse  sus- 
picion, picked  men  stationed  themselves  along  the 
street  to  the  palace.  Numerous  others  wandered  into 
the  palace,  as  if  they  were  merely  gratifying  their  curi- 
osity. Then  Cortes,  with  Marina,  and  five  of  the  men 
most  noted  in  the  annals  of  the  conquest,  sought  an 
audience  with  the  Emperor.  A  complaint  was  made 
that  two  Spaniards  in  a  distant  part  of  the  empire  had 
been  killed  by  the  Emperor's  orders.  Regardless  of 
his  protestations,  he  was  told  that  he  must  become  a 
hostage  with  the  Spaniards  until  the  matter  was  sat- 
isfactorily settled,  or  his  life  would  be  instantly  taken. 
Montezuma  listened  in  horrified  amazement. 

''When  was  it  ever  heard,"  he  exclaimed,  "that  such 
a  great  prince  as  I  left  his  palace  to  become  the  pris- 
oner of  a  handful  of  strangers  within  his  own  gates?" 

Two  hours  had  passed  in  the  strange  controversy, 
and  the  impatient   Velasquez   de   Leon   cried   out: 


MARINA  139 

"Waste  no  more  words!  Seize  the  barbarian,  and  if 
he  resists,  let  us  plunge  our  swords  into  his  body !" 

With  a  face  white  as  death  at  the  angry  words  of 
the  soldier,  the  monarch  turned  and  asked  pitifully 
of  Marina  what  it  meant.  She  explained  as  gently  as 
she  could  that  he  must  go  with  the  Spaniards,  who 
promised  to  treat  him  as  became  a  King.  To  deny 
this  and  incur  their  wrath,  doubtless  meant  instant 
death.  The  fervent  appeal  of  Marina  changed  the 
resolution  of  her  Emperor,  and  he  bowed  his  will  to 
the  inexplicable  boldness  of  the  irresistible  strangers. 

Marina  was  constantly  tender  and  solicitous  for  the 
comfort  of  her  sovereign.  He  came  to  look  upon  her 
as  a  daughter,  and  to  rely  implicitly  upon  her  counsel. 

After  Cortes  had  the  city  well  in  his  own  hands,  and 
Montezuma,  with  his  nobles  and  chiefs,  had  taken  the 
oath  of  vassalage  to  the  Spanish  crown,  Marina  joy- 
fully carried  the  word  to  her  sovereign  that  he  was 
now  a  free  man  and  could  return  to  his  palace.  He 
did  not  do  so,  for  the  reason,  it  is  said,  that  Aguilar 
immediately  informed  him  that  the  soldiers  were  bit- 
terly opposed  to  it.  They  believed  that  the  captivity 
of  the  King  kept  the  populace  in  subjection,  and 
Montezuma,  so  anxious  not  to  have  repeated  in  Mex- 
ico the  horrors  of  such  a  massacre  as  had  deluged  with 
blood  their  holy  city  of  Cholula,  preferred  to  be  a 
prisoner. 

But  the  storm  broke  at  last  with  a  demoniacal  fury 
almost  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  history. 
Velasquez  of  Cuba,  whom  Cortes  had  deserted  in 
assuming  complete  command  in  New  Spain,  sent  Nar- 
vaez  with  two  ships  and  orders  to  arrest  and  super- 


ip  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

sede  Cortes  in  authority.  While  the  undaunted  con- 
queror was  gone  to  the  coast  on  the  famous  expedi- 
tion which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Narvaez  and  the 
absorption  of  his  entire  command,  Alvarado,  the 
future  conqueror  of  Guatemala,  and  soldier  of  fortune 
with  Pizarro  in  Peru,  was  left  in  command  at  the 
Aztec  capital.  At  this  time  the  chiefs  and  nobles  of 
Mexico  and  its  tributaries  gathered  at  a  great  annual 
religious  festival.  The  Spaniards,  for  some  cause 
never  satisfactorily  explained,  were  ordered  to  attack 
them.  A  slaughter  followed,  more  horrible  in  all  its 
details  than  that  of  Cholula.  After  the  first  recoil  of 
horror,  the  frenzied  people  turned  upon  the  Spaniards 
like  ravenous  wolves.  Supplies  were  cut  off,  and  the 
audacious  invaders  were  lost  unless  help  came  soon. 

Through  the  influence  of  Marina,  in  whom  Bemal 
Diaz,  the  most  reliable  historian  of  the  expedition, 
says  he  never  saw  weakness  or  fear,  Montezuma  was 
induced  to  mount  the  battlements  and  persuade  his 
people  not  to  storm  the  fortress.  In  this  they  obeyed 
him,  but  it  was  the  last  respect  they  ever  paid  to  him 
whom  they  had  reverenced  and  feared  next  to  their 
gods. 

At  this  time  Cortes,  triumphant  over  the  enemies 
of  his  own  country,  and  with  the  additional  forces 
acquired  from  his  capture  of  Narvaez,  entered  the  city. 
Soon  after  the  drawbridges  on  the  causeways,  con- 
necting the  island  on  which  the  city  was  situated  with 
the  outer  shore  of  the  lake,  were  destroyed,  and  one 
of  the  most  desperate  and  relentless  conflicts  ever 
waged  was  begun. 

Slowly  the  infuriated  hosts,  regardless  of  the  bloody 


MARINA  133 

havoc  wrought  against  them  by  sword  and  cannon, 
pressed  closer  and  closer  upon  the  wretched  garrison. 
At  last  came  the  pitiable  end  of  Montezuma.  He  was 
persuaded  to  ascend  the  central  turret  of  the  palace 
and  advise  his  people  to  j>ermit  the  Spaniards  unmo- 
lested to  leave  the  city.  As  he  appeared,  the  war  cries 
ceased,  and  many  fell  prostrate  as  before  the  presence 
of  a  god.  He  spoke  only  a  few  words  in  favor  of  leni- 
ency to  the  Spaniard,  when  reverence  vanished,  and 
the  people  were  electrified  with  scorn. 

"Base  Aztec !"  they  cried.  "Woman !  Coward  1 
The  white  men  have  made  you  fit  only  to  weave  and 
spin !" 

Then  a  hail  of  missiles  fell  about  him,  and  he  sank 
into  the  arms  of  his  attendants,  mortally  wounded. 
While  the  natives  were  paralyzed  with  the  revulsion 
of  horror  at  having  slain  him  whom  they  had  so  feared 
and  venerated,  Cortez,  at  the  head  of  a  little  band, 
assaulted  the  pyramid  temple,  from  whose  broad  plat- 
form at  the  top  a  band  of  Mexican  nobles  were  ena- 
bled to  throw  into  the  Spanish  quarters  a  constant  hail 
of  arrows  and  stones.  Up  the  broad  steps  the  heroic 
band  went  in  the  face  of  the  arrows,  stones  and  beams 
that  rained  down  upon  them,  while  the  cavalry  fought 
the  enemy  away  from  the  base  of  the  temple  and  kept 
the  way  open  to  the  Spanish  quarters.  Both  armies 
watched  with  fearful  interest  the  death  struggle  going 
on  to  its  finish  far  over  their  heads.  Once  they  saw 
two  warriors  seize  Cortes  and  drag  him  to  the  edge  of 
the  great  platform.  There  was  a  moment  of  fearful 
suspense,  when  one  of  the  Aztecs  was  flung  far  over 
the  edge,  his  body  rebounding  from  steps  and  plat- 


134  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

forms  to  the  earth  far  below,  while  the  other  assailant 
sank  down  almost  severed  in  twain  by  the  command- 
er's sword.  In  half  an  hour  every  Mexican  in  the 
monster  edifice  was  dead,  and  the  Spaniards,  in  their 
religious  fervor,  rolled  crashing  over  the  sides  of  the 
towering  pyramid  all  the  hideous,  blood-covered  sta- 
tues, idols,  and  sacrificial  stones. 

A  lull  in  the  sanguinary  struggle  followed,  and 
Cortes  believed  the  opportunity  favorable  to  make 
terms  with  the  maddened  populace. 

With  Marina  at  his  side  he  mounted  to  the  turret 
in  the  palace  from  which  Montezuma  had  so  mourn- 
fully addressed  his  desperate  people.  The  clear,  musi- 
cal voice  of  the  far-famed  Indian  girl  secured  at  once 
the  most  respectful  attention.  But  the  plea  she  was 
given  to  translate  was  only  that  of  reproach  upon  the 
Aztecs  as  being  the  cause  of  such  fearful  bloodshed, 
with  the  command  for  immediate  and  unconditional 
surrender. 

"If  you  do  not,"  was  the  conclusion,  "I  will  make 
your  city  a  heap  of  blood  and  ashes,  and  leave  not  a 
soul  alive  to  mourn  over  it." 

Their  reply  was  startling  enough :  "We  are  all  con- 
tent if  for  every  thousand  Mexicans  who  fall  there  has 
been  shed  the  blood  of  one  Spaniard.  Our  city  is 
thronged  with  warriors  as  far  as  your  eyes  can  reach, 
and  you  will  soon  be  in  our  hands.  The  bridges  are 
broken  down  and  you  cannot  escape.  We  mourn  that 
there  will  soon  be  too  few  of  you  to  glut  the  vengeance 
of  our  gods." 

A  volley  of  arrows  from  the  infuriated  Aztecs  ended 
the  conference. 


MARINA  135 

The  dreadful  truth  was  fast  becoming  clear  to  the 
mind  of  every  soldier.  The  only  chance  for  life  lay 
in  fighting  their  way  over  the  broken  causeways  to 
the  nearest  shore,  more  than  a  mile  away.  The  night 
this  was  attempted  is  known  in  Spanish  annals  as 
"The  melancholy  night."  The  score  of  slaughter  was 
reversed,  regardless  of  the  most  heroic  valor.  Secretly 
and  silently  the  Spaniards  and  their  allies  moved  out 
of  their  quarters  and  passed  along  the  deserted  streets 
toward  the  nearest  causeway.  Suddenly  the  shrill 
scream  of  a  woman  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night, 
made  inky  dark  by  the  drizzling  rain.  Instantly  echo- 
ing cries  resounded  over  the  city,  and  the  hosts  of 
warriors  poured  in  upon  the  fleeing  Spaniards.  The 
long,  narrow  causeway  was  at  last  gained,  when  the 
shrill  war  cries  of  myriad  assailants  on  either  side  in 
canoes  were  heard  coming  nearer  and  nearer.  Then 
there  was  poured  upon  the  long,  narrow  line  of  Span- 
iards and  their  allies  a  storm  of  missiles.  In  the  midst 
of  the  bloody  conflict  of  this  midnight  procession, 
Marina  and  the  w^omen,  armed  with  shield  and  sword, 
fought  for  their  lives  as  valiantly  as  did  the  men.  One 
Marie  de  Estrada  is  especially  noted  for  the  daring 
deeds  she  performed.  In  that  desperate  retreat  there 
were  many  feats  of  heroism  that  rivaled  the  valor  of 
the  demi-gods  of  the  Grecians.  Two-thirds  of  the 
Spaniards  and  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  Indian 
allies  who  had  entered  the  city  were  dead,  and  the 
remnant  was  but  a  disorganized  mass  when  the  shore 
was  reached.  Not  a  gun  or  cannon  was  saved,  and 
yet  the  exhausted  men  fought  their  way  onward 
through  two  hundred  thousand  warriors,  gathered  a 


136  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

few  miles  away  at  Otompan,  and  arrived  safely  among 
their  friends  at  Tlascala. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  the  indefatigable  and 
indomitable  Cortes  secured  such  reinforcements  from 
ships  and  men  sent  by  Velasquez  to  help  Narvaez  that 
he  turned  once  more  toward  the  capital  of  the  Aztecs. 
The  story  of  how  he  fought  his  way  back  into  the  city 
through  myriads  of  natives,  who  cared  nothing  for 
life  as  long  as  they  could  inflict  a  wound,  and  the  hor- 
rible process  of  the  remorseless  conflict,  which  reduced 
the  city,  as  Cortes  had  threatened,  to  a  pile  of  blood 
and  ashes,  wherein  a  quarter  of  a  million  people  per- 
ished, all  reads  more  like  a  wild  Oriental  romance 
than  the  pitiable  truth. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  complete  prostration  of  Mex- 
ico, which  he  asked  Charles  V  to  call  New  Spain  of 
the  Ocean  Sea,  Cortes  set  forth  on  an  expedition  of 
conquest  to  Honduras,  taking  with  him  the  indispen- 
sable and  equally  tireless  Marina. 

A  strange  occurrence  then  took  place  in  her  history. 
At  the  place  now  called  the  Lake  of  Peten,  Cortes 
summoned  to  meet  him  all  the  neighboring  Caciques, 
chiefs  and  rulers.  When  they  were  assembled,  Marina 
came  forward  to  speak  to  them  in  the  name  of  the 
great  conqueror  to  whom  they  had  come  to  pay  their 
homage.  Ay  present  noted  a  marvelous  resemblance 
between  Marina  and  one  of  the  visitors,  who  was 
queen-mother  of  the  powerful  Maya  tribe.  The 
frightened  woman  saw  that  Marina  was  her  daughter, 
whom  she  had  sold  into  slavery,  and  she  believed  that 
she  had  been  brought  there  to  meet  the  just  punish- 
of  death  for  her  unnatural  crime.      But  the  gentle 


MARINA  137 

Marina  ran  to  her  with  all  a  child's  affection,  loaded 
the  unworthy  parent  with  caresses,  and  covered  her 
with  the  jewels  she  wore.  Marina  implored  her 
mother  not  to  grieve  for  the  fault  committed  so  long 
ago,  since  it  had  redounded  so  much  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  Christian  redemption  of  Mexico. 

Bemal  Diaz  says  that  he  heard  her  tell  her  people 
that  if  she  had  been  born  chieftainess  of  all  the  prov- 
inces of  New  Spain,  the  only  pleasure  that  she  could 
derive  from  it  would  be  that  she  could  give  them  all 
to  Cortes. 

It  was  on  this  expedition  that  Cortes  gave  her  away 
in  legal  marriage  to  a  Castilian  knight  named  Jara- 
millo,  who  was  afterward  standard-bearer  of  the  City 
of  Mexico.  From  this  time  on  the  name  of  Marina 
and  the  Aztec  title  of  Malinche,  given  to  Cortes,  dis- 
appears from  the  Spanish  annals.  But  it  is  known 
that  the  Spanish  Government,  in  consideration  of  her 
distinguished  services,  gave  her  estates  and  pleasure 
gardens,  both  in  the  country  and  City  of  Mexico. 
One  of  the  most  famous  mountains  in  New  Spain  was 
named  for  her,  and  a  bronze  equestrian  statue  of  her 
now  stands  in  the  city  of  Pueblo.  As  mention  is  made 
during  her  lifetime  of  her  grandchildren,  it  is  likely 
that  she  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  recognized  by  all  as 
one  of  the  greatest  heroines  of  Indian  America. 


THE   LAND   OF   WAR 

Patriotic  heroism  is  esteemed  by  most  nations  as 
the  highest  virtue  of  the  citizen.  Next  to  this  in  uni- 
versal commendation  is  that  of  reUgious  heroism.  As 
the  Spaniard  has  ahvays  combined  both  of  these  in 
a  high  degree,  his  nation  has  from  this  point  of  view 
many  heroes  with  the  most  daring  exploits  to  their 
credit. 

Singularly  enough,  every  nation  believes  itself  to  be 
blessed  with  the  greatest  heroes  and  the  most  heroic 
achievements.  From  the  pioneers  at  Jamestown  and 
Plymouth  Rock  to  the  last  fight  at  Manila,  the  citi- 
zens of  the  great  American  republic  read  rapturously 
of  courageous  deeds,  and  exalt  their  heroes.  But  as 
romance,  all  this  makes  poor  reading  by  the  side  of 
the  extraordinary  exploits  recorded  in  the  annals  of 
Spain.  But  there  is  an  infinite  difference  in  favor  of 
American  heroism,  if  it  is  judged  by  its  ultimate  value 
to  civilization. 

No  one  can  read  of  the  matchless  daring  displayed 
in  the  Spanish  conquest  of  America  without  being 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  the  conquerors 
considered  the  subjugation  of  the  natives  of  but  little 
more  importance  than  the  extermination  of  each  other 
in  the  constant  feuds  of  rivalry.  So  much  was  this 
true  in  Spanish  South  America  that  this  territory  was 
generally  spoken  of  in  Spain  as  "The  Land  of  War/' 

138 


I 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  139 

If  Pizarro  had  governed  his  conquests  according  to 
his  experience  with  Vasco  Nunez,  discoverer  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  instead  of  after  the  manner  of  the  vin- 
dictive Pedrarias  Davilla,  Governor  of  Golden  Castile, 
there  would  probably  have  been  no  "land  of  war"  to 
distract  and  exhaust  the  resources  of  Spain. 

That  all  the  soldiers  were  not  as  devoted  to  such 
enterprises  as  their  indomitable  leader,  may  be  inferred 
from  some  singular  incidents. 

Francisco  Pizarro,  Diego  de  Almagro,  and  the 
licentiate  Gaspar  de  Espinosa,  who  was  represented  in 
all  the  transactions  by  the  priest  Fernando  de  Luque, 
completed  their  compact  for  the  conquest  of  the  ter- 
ritory south  of  Panama,  and  took  oaths  of  eternal 
friendship  over  the  holy  sacrament.  The  expedition 
was  fitted  out  with  enthusiastic  fortune-hunters,  and 
the  coast  supposed  to  contain  the  fabulous  riches  of 
which  they  had  heard,  was  safely  reached.  As  on  a 
previous  voyage  which  Pizarro  had  made  southward, 
only  swamps,  desolate  wildernesses,  and  pauperized 
inhabitants  were  to  be  found,  but  the  sufferings  on 
shipboard  or  land  were  forgotten  at  every  contact  with 
the  natives,  from  the  assurances  they  gave  that  it  was 
only  a  little  farther  on  to  the  land  of  countless  gold. 
The  Spaniards  moved  along  the  coast  toward  the 
golden  paradise,  and  saw  increasing  evidences  of  a 
higher  civilization,  but  such  numbers  of  warriors 
thronged  the  shores  that  the  handful  of  adventurers 
seemed  ridiculously  inadequate  for  any  kind  of  cam- 
paign. At  last  it  was  decided  that  Almagro  should 
return  to  Panama  for  reinforcements,  while  Pizarro 
remained  with    the  soldiers  at  the  Island  of    Gallo. 


I40  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

There  was  almost  a  mutiny  at  the  prospect  of  being 
kept  at  that  desolate  place  so  long,  and  many  furious 
letters  were  written  home  to  friends.  Almagro  seized 
all  of  these  and  informed  the  men  that  no  such  letters 
would  be  delivered.  However,  the  wit  of  a  crowd  of 
desperate  men  is  not  so  easily  foiled.  Presents  show- 
ing the  richness  of  the  country  and  intended  to  impress 
the  people  and  ofHcials  of  Panama  with  the  importance 
of  the  expedition,  were  taken  back  in  abundance,  and 
the  soldiers  succeeded  in  concealing  in  a  ball  of  cotton, 
intended  as  a  present  especially  pleasing  to  the  Gov- 
ernor's wife,  a  letter  setting  forth  their  grievances  in 
full  and  signed  by  them  all.  It  concluded  with  the 
stanza : 

"Look  out,  Senor  Governor, 

For  the  drover  while  he's  near ; 
Since  he  goes  home  to  get  the  sheep 
For  the  butcher,  who  stays  here." 

The  letter  was  uncovered  at  Panama,  and  it  pro- 
duced a  great  sensation.  The  stanza  was  chanted  all 
over  Spain.  It  had  such  an  effect  that  the  Governor 
would  not  listen  to  the  golden  promises  of  Almagro, 
but  at  once  sent  two  ships  to  bring  away  the  Span- 
iards at  Gallo,  who  had  meanwhile  suffered  dread- 
fully from  the  inability  to  procure  food  and  because  of 
the  continuous  storms.  The  vessels  sent  to  take  them 
home  were  hailed  with  rapturous  shouts  of  joy,  and 
the  conquest  of  Peru  was  being  balanced  across  the 
finger  of  fate.  Pizarro  at  once  asserted  that  decision 
of  character  which  proves  the  great  leader  for  great 
achievements. 

He  drew  his  sword  and  struck  a  line  in  the  sand  east 


u 

t) 

Pi 

H 

Q 

< 

Q 
P< 
O 

CO 

en 


r 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  143 

and  west.  "Friends  and  comrades!"  he  exclaimed, 
turning  toward  the  south  and  standing  on  the  northern 
side.  "On  that  side  are  toil,  hunger,  nakedness,  the 
drenching  storm,  desertion  and  death;  on  this  side 
ease  and  pleasure.  There  lies  Peru  with  its  riches; 
here,  Panama  and  its  poverty.  Choose  each  man  what 
best  becomes  a  brave  Castilian.  For  my  part,  I  cross 
to  the  south." 

Ruiz,  the  pilot,  and  Pedro  de  Candia,  a  native  of 
Greece,  unhesitatingly  followed  him,  after  which 
eleven  others  crossed  the  Hne.  To  remain  alone  on 
this  desolate  rock  in  the  ocean,,  waiting  for  the  doubt- 
ful reinforcements  of  Almagro,  was  heroism.  With- 
out it,  Pizarro^s  name  would  have  been  unknown  and 
South  America  would  have  had  a  different  history. 

After  seven  months  the  Governor  sent  a  relief  ves- 
sel, with  barely  enough  men  to  sail  it.^  It  found  the 
fourteen  men  on  the  Island  of  Gallo  as  resolute  as  ever, 
and  instead  of  returning  in  the  vessel,  Pizarro  put  his 
men  aboard  and  steered  for  the  Peruvian  coast.  In 
the  Gulf  of  Timbuez,  a  populous  city  was  seen,  and, 
as  the  brigantine  approached,  upward  of  ten  thousand 
armed  warriors  lined  the  shore.  Assurances  of  friend- 
ship having  been  established,  Pizarro  decided  to  send 
Pedro  de  Candia,  the  Greek,  ashore  for  information. 
Dressed  from  head  to  foot  in  dazzling  armor,  and 
with  a  drawn  sword,  the  athletic  Greek  stepped 
ashore  and  marched  straight  forward  into  the 
town.  The  people  fled  before  him,  and  thronged  the 
housetops,  as  if  they  were  being  visited  by  a  demi-god. 

As  he  approached  the  entrance,  a  jaguar  and  a  wolf 
from  the  pleasure  garden  of  one  of  the  nobles  were 


144  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

turned  loose  upon  him  to  test  his  supernaturaf  fuali- 
ties.  The  jaguar  fled,  but,  according  to  the  Spanish 
historians,  the  wolf  lay  down  and  suffered  him  to  touch 
it  with  the  cross,  a  proof  of  the  miraculous  efficacy 
of  that  instrument.  Inside  the  town,  in  the  midst  of 
the  wondering  natives,  he  set  up  a  board  as  a  target 
and  shivered  it  with  a  shot  from  his  musket.  The  con- 
sternation and  terror  caused  by  this  exhibition  of 
power  were  very  gratifying  to  the  white  man's  sense 
of  superiority,  and  Pedro  de  Candia  felt  a  pride  equal 
to  the  reverence  and  awe  of  the  natives. 

When  he  returned  to  Pizarro,  he  had  a  wonderful 
story  of  temples  lined  with  precious  metal  and  mag- 
nificent gardens  of  artificial  flowers  and  fruits  done 
in  gold.  For  this  exploit  the  Greek  knight  and  cav- 
alier was  made,  by  the  Spanish  Emperor,  master  of 
the  artillery.  In  the  deadly  feud  that  followed  a  few 
years  later  between  Almagro  and  Pizarro,  in  which 
Spaniards  fought  each  other  with  more  fury  than  they 
did  the  Incas,  Candia  was  found  on  the  side  of  Alma- 
gro, but  with  what  willingness  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  at  the  battle  of  Chupas,  the  Greek  was 
struck  down  by  the  sword  of  Almagro's  son  for  the 
alleged  treason  of  firing  his  artillery  over  the  heads  of 
Pizarro's  men. 

Coasting  southward  until  indisputable  evidence  of 
the  rich  Inca  Empire  had  been  obtained,  the  vessel 
returned  to  Panama,  and  Pizarro  went  to  Spain,  to 
obtain  the  royal  commission  and  the  means  to  pur- 
sue the  conquest.  Early  in  1530  he  returned  to 
Panama,  bringing  with  him  four  brothers,  equally 
ambitious  and  courageous.    Most  of  the  offices  and 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  145 

powers  were  vested  in  himself,  and  from  this  arose  the 
disputes  between  Almagro  and  Pizarro  which  at  last 
resulted  in  their  mutual  destruction.  Meanwhile  it  is 
hardly  too  much  to  say  that  their  exploits  rivaled  any 
adventures  known  to  romance  or  history. 

Almagro  remained  at  Panama  to  procure  and  for- 
ward supplies,  while  Pizarro  went  on  to  Peru  and  set 
out  on  his  search  for  the  golden  Inca.  His  entire  force 
consisted  only  of  one  hundred  and  six  infantry  and 
sixty-two  horsemen.  With  this  insignificant  force  he 
crossed  the  Andes  into  the  center  of  the  great  Indian 
Empire,  and  came  to  the  camp  of  the  Inca,  where  he 
was  spending  the  winter  with  an  army  estimated  at  a 
hundred  thousand  men.  Here  he  decided  to  effect 
the  capture  of  the  Inca,  a  feat  more  daring  and  des- 
perate by  far  than  the  peaceable  seizure  of  Montezuma 
by  Cortes.  But  there  were  audacity  and  courage 
enough  in  those  two  acts  to  place  them  among  the 
chief  wonders  of  history. 

It  was  on  Saturday,  November  16,  1532,  when  the 
Spaniards  reached  the  summit  of  extraordinary 
exploits  in  America.  Without  molestation  they  had 
gone  on  through  the  passes  of  the  Andes  and  emerged 
upon  the  plains  of  Caxamalca.  As  the  Spaniards 
marched  into  this  typical  Peruvian  city  of  adobe  build- 
ings, not  an  inhabitant  was  to  be  seen,  although  the 
number  of  houses  showed  at  least  ten  thousand  popu- 
lation. About  four  miles  away,  beyond  a  swamp, 
across  which  ran  a  narrow  causeway,  could  be  seen  the 
countless  snow-white  tents  of  the  Inca's  army.  So  far 
from  any  possibility  of  help,  surrounded  by  mountains 
in  whose  passes  a  few  Indians  could  prevent  escape, 


146  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

in  the  presence  of  an  innumerable  host,  which,  with- 
out doubt,  desired  their  destruction,  every  soldier  lost 
hope.  Francisco  Pizarro  alone  remained  confident. 
In  the  wide  halls  of  the  houses  opening  upon  the  pub- 
lic square,  he  placed  his  horsemen  in  two  divisions,  one 
under  his  brother  Hernando,  and  the  other  under 
De  Soto,  who  was  ultimately  to  become  more  famed 
for  his  discovery  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Pedro  de 
Candia,  the  Greek,  was  stationed  conveniently  in  the 
fortress  with  his  artillery,  consisting  of  two  small  fal- 
conets. The  foot  soldiers  were  concealed  in  the  near- 
est houses,  ready  to  rush  forth  at  a  signal. 

In  this  manner,  Pizarro  prepared  his  men  to  receive 
a  visit  from  the  Inca,  whose  long  train  of  attendants 
they  had  been  watching  as  they  marched  in  admirable 
military  order  over  the  causeway.  It  was  nearly  sun- 
set when  the  stately  array  filed  into  the  great  square, 
the  Peruvian  Emperor  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  a 
score  of  men.  He  was  arrayed  in  gorgeous  livery,  and 
sat  upon  a  throne  of  solid  gold.  Six  thousand  war- 
riors entered  the  square,  and  not  a  Spaniard  was  to 
be  seen  by  the  natives  until  Father  Valverde,  a  Domin- 
ican friar,  came  forward  to  the  King,  with  a  Bible  in 
one  and  a  crucifix  held  aloft  in  the  other.  The  inter- 
preter was  at  hand,  and  the  astonished  Inca  sat  upon 
his  golden  throne,  held  aloft  upon  the  shoulders  of 
his  attendants,  and  listened  to  a  doctrinal  sermon  that 
covered  all  essential  points  of  belief  from  the  creation 
to  the  papal  bull  that  gave  Peru  to  the  Spaniards. 
The  priest  then  advised  the  King  to  turn  at  once  to 
the  Christian  faith  and  submit  to  Pizarro,  who  was 


> 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  147 

the  authorized  representative  of  the  great  Catholic 
monarch,  Charles  V. 

Enraged  at  such  demands  from  the  handful  of 
strangers,  Atahuallpa  flung  away  the  Bible  which  had 
been  pressed  upon  him,  and  the  priest,  shocked  at  such 
irreverence,  ran  back  into  the  nearest  house,  crying, 
"I  absolve  you.    Set  on  at  once." 

Pizarro  waved  a  white  scarf,  a  gun  was  fired  from 
the  fortress,  and  the  cry,  ''Santiago  and  at  them," 
rang  from  every  side  of  the  square  as  the  Spaniards, 
horse  and  foot,  rushed  with  gleaming  swords  upon 
the  compact  mass  of  bewildered  Indians.  The  two 
falconets  and  the  few  muskets  had  a  broad  target,  and 
the  thunders  of  their  reports,  with  the  dense  black 
smoke  that  rolled  upward  from  them,  made  it  appear 
to  the  natives  as  if  heaven  itself  had  joined  in  the 
slaughter.  Not  a  Spaniard  was  wounded,  and  not  a 
single  stroke  in  defense  was  made  by  the  terrified 
Peruvians.  So  great  was  the  pressure  of  the  mass 
against  one  of  the  great  stone  walls,  covering  the  space 
between  the  houses,  that  it  gave  way  for  a  hundred 
yards,  and  through  this  space  multitudes  were  able  to 
escape  from  the  slaughter-pen  into  the  open  plain, 
where  the  horsemen  cut  them  down  as  long  as  their 
arms  had  the  strength  to  plunge  their  swords.  It  was 
long  a  bitter  saying  among  the  Peruvians  that  the 
great  wall  was  less  cruel  on  that  day  than  the  Span- 
iards. 

The  longest  fight  was  around  the  Inca,  about  whom 
his  followers  gathered  and  interposed  their  naked 
bodies,  until  it  was  long  after  dark  before  the  royal 
litter  could  be  overturned  and  the  King  captured. 


148  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Without  doubt  four  or  five  thousand  Indians  were 
slain,  this  massacre  being  one  of  the  foulest  blots  in 
all  the  dark  history  of  Spain. 

Soon  after  Atahuallpa  had  agreed  to  ransom  himself 
by  fining  his  three  prison-rooms  full  of  gold  and  silver 
to  the  amount  of  sixteen  or  seventeen  million  dollars, 
Almagro,  Pizarro's  partner,  arrived  with  a  welcome 
reinforcement  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  and  fifty 
horsemen,  who  clamored  to  be  led  on  to  Cuzco,  where 
stood  the  golden  temple  of  the  sun.  The  Inca  was 
becoming  a  burden,  although  he  had  proven  himself 
to  be  one  of  the  most  congenial  and  companionable 
of  men.  He  learned  to  play  at  dice,  and  not  only 
paid  his  lost  bets,  but  always  refused  to  receive  any- 
thing in  payment  of  the  lost  bets  of  others.  No  one 
ever  attended  him  or  did  him  a  favor  without  receiv- 
ing some  handsome  reward.  Tw^o  circumstances  now 
appeared  to  hasten  the  end  of  the  unfortunate  King. 
Felipillo,  the  Tambuez  Indian  whom  Pizarro  had 
secured  on  his  first  voyage  and  educated  as  his  inter- 
preter and  secretary,  fell  in  love  with  the  Inca's  favor- 
ite wife.  Rumors  began  to  come  in  through  Felipillo 
of  a  powerful  avenging  army  being  raised  at  the  insti- 
gation of  Atahuallpa.  De  Soto  was  sent  on  an  expe- 
dition of  investigation,  but  before  he  returned  such 
abundance  of  evidence  was  taken  by  the  secretary 
from  Peruvian  nobles  visiting  the  Inca,  that  it  was 
decided  to  bring  him  at  once  to  trial.  It  is  said  that 
Pizarro  was  not  averse  to  such  summary  proceedings, 
from  the  fact  that  the  Inca  held  him  in  great  con- 
tempt. This  contempt  of  Atahuallpa  came  about 
through  a  singular  circumstance.    One  day  he  asked 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  149 

a  soldier  to  write  the  name  of  the  Christian  God  upon 
the  royal  thumb  nail.  This  was  done  and  the  Inca 
exhibited  it  to  numerous  soldiers,  all  of  whom,  to  his 
delight,  pronounced  the  same  word.  But  when  it  was 
shown  to  Pizarro  he  was  silent.  Neither  Pizarro  nor 
Almagro  could  read  or  write,  and  the  Inca  could  not 
esteem  the  leader  who  was  less  informed  than  the  fol- 
lower. The  trial  for  treason  was  held,  and  the  Peru- 
vian Emperor  was  condemned  to  be  burned,  but  by 
acknowledging  the  Christian  faith  his  sentence  was 
commuted  to  that  of  being  garroted.  On  the  same 
night  of  the  sentence,  two  hours  after  sunset,  in  the 
flare  of  torch  lights,  the  judgment  was  carried  into 
execution.  A  few  days  later  De  Soto  returned  with  the 
information  that  he  could  not  discover  the  remotest 
indications  of  an  uprising;  on  the  contrary,  the  natives 
seemed  to  be  leaderless  and  utterly  dazed.  Not  long 
after,  Felipillo  went  with  Almagro  on  an  expedition 
to  Chili,  when  he  was  unceremoniously  hanged  for  a 
meddlesome  intrigue.  In  confessing  his  sins  tO'  the 
priest,  he  said  that  he  had  manufactured  the  testimony 
on  which  the  Inca  was  condemned. 

Most  of  the  gold  paid  for  the  ransom  of  the  Inca 
had  come  from  Cuzco,  where  there  was  said  to  be 
many  times  as  much  still  untouched,  in  the  temple 
of  the  sun.  Almagro's  soldiers  clamored  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  share  in  those  fabulous  riches,  and  Pizarro 
accordingly  set  forth  for  the  capital  of  the  Incas.  This 
city,  with  an  estimated  population  of  two  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  taken  without  resistance, 
and  not  less  than  sixteen  million  dollars  in  gold 
secured  as  spoils. 


k 


ISO  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Spaniards  were  then,  as  now,  such  inveterate 
gamblers  that  few  of  the  soldiers  could  keep  their  gold 
longer  than  it  could  be  gambled  away.  Leguizano,  a 
horseman,  was  given  the  image  of  the  sun  as  his  share. 
It  was  a  huge  gold  plate,  bearing  in  the  center  a  head, 
from  which  extended  sun  rays.  The  first  night  he 
gambled  away  this  magnificent  prize,  the  story  of 
which  became  so  famous  in  Spain  as  to  pass  into  a 
proverb,  "Play  away  the  sun  before  sunrise." 

Leguizano  was  so  disgusted  that  he  left  the  army 
at  the  first  opportunity  and  never  touched  a  card 
again.  Not  long  after  he  married  an  Inca  princess  and 
passed  the  rest  of  his  life  in  trying  to  repress  the  rapa- 
city of  the  Spaniards.  In  1589  he  wrote  a  long  letter 
to  King  Philip  II,  enumerating  the  griefs  of  the  natives 
and  the  crimes  of  the  Spaniards.  When  he  died  he 
wrote  in  his  will,  "I  pray  God  that  he  will  pardon 
my  grievous  sins  against  the  helpless  people  of  Peru. 
I  am  about  to  die,  the  last  of  all  the  discoverers  and 
conquerors.  It  is  notorious  that  there  are  none  sur- 
viving excepting  me  alone  in  all  this  country  or  out 
of  it,  and  I  now  do  all  that  remains  to  me  to  relieve 
my  conscience." 

Each  soldier  received  enough  of  the  golden  spoils 
to  make  him  among  the  richest  men  in  Spain,  but 
every  division  of  the  princely  treasures  only  increased 
his  avarice  and  greed.  Adventurous  leaders  with  small 
bodies  of  troops  ravaged  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion. One  party  under  Sebastian  Benalcazar  set  out 
for  Quito,  where,  as  the  Spaniards  were  told,  lay  the 
greatest  treasures  of  all  Peru.  Ruminagui,  one  of  the 
Inca's  generals,   was   Governor  there.     Hearing  of 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  151 

the  approach  of  the  Spaniards,  he  gathered  his  troops 
together  and  met  the  enemy,  in  a  desperate  conflict, 
on  the  plains  of  Riobamba.  He  could  not  withstand 
the  mailed  horsemen,  and,  retreating  into  the  city,  he 
set  it  on  fire.  Meanwhile,  his  son  Catuna  had  been 
busy  day  and  night,  removing  the  golden  hordes  of 
the  temples  to  a  place  of  hiding,  after  which  the  slaves 
who  had  carried  the  gold  were  killed.  In  escaping 
from  the  city  as  the  Spaniards  were  entering,  Catuna 
was  climbing  over  a  burning  wall,  when  it  fell  upon 
him,  and  he  was  not  only  crippled  for  life,  but  fright- 
fully disfigured.  Here  he  was  found  by  Hernan 
Saurez,  one  of  the  Spanish  captains,  who  took  a  great 
interest  in  the  youthful  chief  and  treated  him  with 
great  kindness.  In  after  years,  Saurez  met  with  mis- 
fortune and  was  thrown  into  prison  for  debt.  Catuna 
visited  him  and  asked  him  to  promise  that  what  he 
was  about  to  say  would  always  remain  a  secret,  and 
that  should  any  suspicion  ever  fall  upon  Catuna,  the 
captain  would  be  his  protector  against  the  avarice  of 
the  Spaniards. 

The  promise  was  given,  and  the  next  morning 
Catuna  smuggled  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniard  a 
golden  pineapple,  which  liquidated  the  debts  and  lib- 
erated him  from  prison.  Saurez  had  been  noted  for 
his  extraordinary  kindness  and  charity  to  the  natives, 
and  it  was  mainly  through  this  generosity  that  he  had 
lost  his  fortune  and  become  involved  in  debt.  Catuna 
had  been  a  slave  in  the  household  of  Saurez,  but  he 
now  became  his  master's  constant  companion.  Catuna 
asked  him  to  put  a  smelting  furnace  in  his  cellar  and 
to  protect  it  from  all  intrusion.    This  was  done,  and 


152  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Catuna  told  his  master  to  visit  the  place  every  morn- 
ing. He  did  so,  and  never  failed  to  find  an  ingot  of 
pure  gold.  Every  cent  thus  obtained  was  spent  to 
alleviate  the  miseries  of  the  natives.  When  Saurez 
died,  beloved  by  the  Indians  over  all  Peru,  it  was  gen- 
erally believed  among  the  Spaniards  that  Catuna, 
known  as  the  Indian  imp  from  his  horrible  disfigure- 
ment, had  furnished  his  master  with  the  gold  through 
some  dreadful  practices  of  black  magic.  A  trial  was 
called,  and  Catuna  boldly  admitted  that  he  had  sold 
his  soul  to  the  devil  in  exchange  for  the  secret  of  how 
to  make  gold.  The  judges  demanded  proof,  and 
Catuna  named  the  necessary  conditions.  These  were 
readily  granted,  and  Catuna  produced  an  ingot  of  pure 
gold.  The  judges  put  the  precious  metal  to  the  test, 
and,  finding  it  genuine,  divided  it  betlveen  them. 
More  proof  was  demanded,  and  so  convincing  was  the 
golden  argument  that  the  judges  pronounced  him  not 
guilty.  He  was  tried  before  other  judges,  with  the 
same  effect,  so  that  it  was  found  that  he  could  not  be 
convicted  by  a  single  judge  in  all  Peru.  In  conse- 
quence he  became  so  feared  that  none  dared  to  oppose 
him,  and  while  he  lived  there  was  justice  to  the  natives 
about  Quito,  as  far  as  it  could  be  obtained  under 
Spanish  law,  or  through  the  greed  of  the  Spanish 
judges. 

It  seems  that  the  secret  treasures  of  Quito  were  also 
known  to  a  servant  of  Catuna's  father,  who,  because 
of  his  known  faithfulness,  had  not  been  slain  with  the 
slaves.  When  Catuna  died  this  servant  told  the  secret 
to  his  daughter,  so  that  it  might  not  be  lost.  Not  long 
after  her  father's  death,  she  fell  in  love  with  a  Span- 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  155 

iard,  who  would  not  marry  her,  because  it  would  make 
him  lose  caste  among  his  countrymen.  To  recom- 
pense him  she  offered  to  show  him  more  gold  than 
he  could  ever  use  if  he  would  allow  himself  to  be  blind- 
folded in  passing  to  and  from  the  place  of  conceal- 
ment. He  gave  his  promise,  and,  at  the  trysting  place 
in  the  neighboring  cliffs,  she  blindfolded  him  and  led 
him  a  long  distance  through  devious  ways  to  a  spot 
where  she  took  the  cloak  from  his  head  and  bid  him 
look.  He  was  in  a  long,  narrow  cave,  partially  lighted 
from  a  rift  in  the  rocks  above.  To  his  astonished  gaze 
there  was  revealed  the  lost  treasures  of  Quito.  There 
were  planks  of  solid  gold  too  heavy  for  him  to  lift, 
images  of  the  sun  broader  than  he  could  span  with 
his  arms,  llamas  in  full  life  size,  which  with  all  his 
strength  he  could  not  move,  and  many  hundred 
pounds  of  massive  ornaments.  He  sat  entranced  on 
a  great  throne  of  gold  that  had  been  the  royal  chair 
of  state  for  the  Incas,  until  the  Indian  girl  reminded 
him  that  they  must  go.  Loading  himself  with  the 
precious  metal,  he  started  to  leave  the  cave  unblind- 
folded.  She  appealed  to  him  for  the  love  of  her  and 
the  sacredness  of  his  promise  not  to  betray  her  thus. 
He  had  nearly  reached  the  entrance  with  her  clinging 
frantically  to  him  and  pleading  with  him  to  be  true 
to  her  and  to  his  word.  With  an  oath  he  cast  her  aside 
and  quickened  his  pace.  But  he  had  mistaken  her 
devotion  and  courage.  She  sprang  like  a  leopard 
before  him  with  a  dagger  raised  over  his  heart.  He 
felt  for  his  sword,  but  it  was  gone.  Then  he  remem- 
bered that  before  entering  the  cave  she  had  told  him 
that  it  was  sacrilegious  for  a  soldier  to  enter  armed 


k 


156  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

into  the  holy  place  where  they  were  going.  In  his 
eagerness  to  see  gold,  he  had  dropped  his  sword  as 
she  desired.  He  measured  her  lithe  form  in  the  dim 
light,  saw  the  fierceness  of  her  eyes,  and  knew  that 
he  dared  not  disobey. 

"Drop  the  gold,"  she  cried,  and  he  slowly  let  it  fall. 
''Tie  this  cloak  tightly  over  your  head  and  move  as  I 
direct  or  this  knife  will  cleave  your  heart." 

He  obeyed,  and  she  directed  him  forward.  After  a 
long  distance  had  been  traversed,  he  no  longer  heard 
her  steps  or  her  voice.  He  asked  if  he  could  take  the 
cloak  from  his  head,  but  there  was  no  reply.  Fearing 
to  remove  it,  he  walked  on  until  some  laughing  com- 
rades came  upon  him  and  began  to  ply  him  unmerci- 
fully with  jests.  His  grave  face  silenced  them,  and 
he  walked  on  alone  to  the  town.  He  determined  to 
find  the  Indian  girl,  and  to  that  end  spent  several 
months  in  search,  using  every  means  at  his  command. 
At  last  he  got  a  clew  and  trailed  her  into  a  distant  part 
of  the  mountains.  She  refused  to  recognize  him,  and 
would  not  listen  to  his  pleadings  or  promises.  Then 
he  had  her  arrested  on  the  charge  of  concealing  royal 
treasure  from  the  King  of  Sprain.  She  was  put  to  the 
torture,  but  did  not  say  a  word  or  utter  a  cry.  The 
next  morning  the  torture  was  to  be  renewed,  but 
when  the  officers  went  for  the  victim,  she  was  dead. 
A  bit  of  glass  and  a  bloody  throat  told  the  story. 

The  ease  with  which  Cortes  and  Pizarro  overran 
Mexico  and  Peru  is  no  more  astonishing  than  the  des- 
perate heroism  with  which  the  Indians  fought  after 
their  awakening  to  the  character  of  the  Spaniards. 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  i57 

There  were  many  Bunker  Hills  and  many  a  Thermop- 
ylae among  them. 

The  American  colonies  were  rejoicing  in  the  first 
fruits  of  their  independence  when  the  last  of  the  Incas 
fought  the  last  battle  for  the  preservation  of  his  race. 
This  was  Tupac  Amaru,  a  handsome  and  stately  man, 
who  passed  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
ancient  empire,  laboring  with  admirable  eloquence  and 
courage  to  alleviate  the  miseries  and  mitigate  the 
wrongs  of  his  countrymen.  Not  the  slightest  impres- 
sion could  he  make  upon  the  relentless  masters,  who 
exhausted  the  substance  and  lives  of  the  people  like 
vampires.  He  was  a  far-seeing  man,  and  he  satisfied 
his  conscience  by  first  using  to  the  utmost  all  known 
means  but  that  of  force  to  save  his  race  from  judicial 
annihilation.  He  knew  that  the  year  1780  was  too 
late  to  achieve  independence  from  his  oppressors,  but 
he  believed  himself  able  to  secure  by  force  what  he 
could  not  get  by  reason. 

With  consummate  skill  he  organized  an  army  of  six 
thousand  courageous  soldiers  out  of  the  dispirited  and 
ragged  natives.  Half  of  them  were  armed  with  guns 
and  the  remainder  with  pikes  and  slings.  Two  hard 
fought  battles,  one  of  them  continuing  through  three 
days,  then  took  place,  in  which  Tupac  Amaru  was  vic- 
torious over  nearly  an  equal  number  of  well-equipped 
Spaniards,  having  a  full  equipment  of  cavalry  and  artil- 
lery. He  then  issued  an  address  to  the  Spanish  nation, 
offering  complete  submission  if  he  could  be  assured 
of  certain  reforms  that  would  give  his  people  some 
measure  of  justice. 

Antonio  Areche,  the  visitador  sent  to  quell  the 


k 


158  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

rebellion,  replied  that  immediate  and  unconditional 
surrender  was  the  only  means  whereby  he  could  soften 
the  torture  which  would  be  ultimately  executed  upon 
him  and  his  followers.  All  available  Spanish  forces 
were  rapidly  concentrated,  and  a  war  of  extermination 
followed.  In  a  decisive  battle  the  native  army  was 
almost  destroyed,  Tupac  Amaru  was  captured,  and 
the  entire  nation  driven  into  the  fastnesses  of  the 
mountains.  The  natives  were  hunted  like  wild  beasts, 
but  Spanish  historians  say  that  it  cost  the  conquerors 
more  than  eighty  thousand  lives. 

On  May  15,  1781,  the  last  of  the  Incas  was  led  into 
the  great  square  of  Cuzco,  and  to  him  was  read  the 
sentence  which  is  the  most  fiendish  known  in  the  an- 
nals of  human  history.  It  ordered  that  his  wife  and 
eldest  son,  with  all  his  kinsmen,  even  to  the  remotest 
relationship,  should  be  slowly  tortured  to  death  before 
his  eyes.  Even  the  smallest  details  of  the  diabolical 
cruelty  were  minutely  specified.  This  Satanic  orgy 
was  to  end,  with  the  concentration  of  all  the  cruelties, 
in  the  torture  of  the  Inca.  His  property  and  that  of 
all  his  kinsmen  was  to  be  confiscated,  their  houses 
burned,  and  all  documents,  papers  and  books  or  rec- 
ords referring  in  any  way  to  the  Incas  or  their  empire 
were  to  be  destroyed,  that  all  knowledge  of  them 
might  be  wiped  from  the  earth.  The  customs  and 
manners  of  the  people  were  henceforth  unlawful,  and 
any  one  so  ofifending  the  majesty  of  the  law  should  be 
sent  to  the  mines  for  life.  The  native  language  was 
forbidden,  and  it  was  unlawful  for  any  one  to  speak 
or  write  of  the  Incas  or  of  the  former  history  of  the 
Peruvians. 


I 


THE  LAND  OF  WAR  i6i 


Almost  to  the  hour,  one  hundred  and  seventeen 
ears  before  Spain  was  compelled  to  relinquish  her  last 
grasp  on  the  western  hemisphere,  this  hideous  judg- 
ment was  literally  executed  upon  the  pitiable  remnant 
of  the  Peruvian  people.  But  inaccessible  portions  of 
the  Andes  contained  independent  bands  that  contin- 
ued the  war  of  extermination  until  the  Creoles  became 
strong  enough  to  drive  Spain  from  South  America. 

In  view  of  the  heroism  and  horror  of  the  Spanish 
conquest,  it  is  interesting  to  note  what  became  of  the 
conquerors.  All  of  them  perished  miserably.  De 
Soto  died  of  a  fever  in  the  swamps  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  Diego  de  Alverado  was  poisoned  at  his  home 
in  Spain.  Hernando  Pizarro  lay  in  a  Castilian  prison 
twenty  years  for  having  caused  the  execution  of  Diego 
de  Almagro,  who  had  been  the  partner  of  the  elder 
Pizarro  in  the  conquest  of  Peru.  Almagro's  son,  who 
took  up  his  father's  cause,  was  defeated,  captured,  and 
executed  by  Vaca  de  Castro,  who  had  been  sent  from 
Spain  to  settle  the  quarrels  of  the  conquerors.  Pedro 
de  Alvarado,  who  had  also  been  with  Cortes  through 
Mexico,  was  killed  by  the  fall  of  his  horse.  Gonzalo 
Pizarro,  who  made  himself  master  of  all  Peru  and  who 
could  have  made  himself  King,  as  he  was  implored  to 
do  by  Carbajal,  temporized  with  Spain  until  he  was 
captured  and  beheaded.  Carbajal,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  bravest  generals  in  Spain  and  one  of  the  great- 
est monsters  in  America,  was  drawn  to  execution  in 
a  basket  tied  to  the  tail  of  a  mule.  Valverde,  the 
priest  who  gave  the  signal  for  the  massacre  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  Atahuallpa  by  Pizarro  at  Caxamalca,  was 
killed  by  the  Puna  Indians.  And  so  they  all  perished 
miserably. 


i62  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

But  the  most  pitiable  end  of  them  all  was  that  of 
the  great  conqueror,  Francisco  Pizarro.  He  had  left 
the  followers  of  his  vanquished  partner,  Almagro,  who 
were  known  as  the  men  of  Chili,  to  be  reduced  to  the 
utmost  straits  of  poverty.  Although  they  were  scat- 
tered over  the  country,  they  were  united  by  the  undy- 
ing desire  for  vengeance  against  the  men  who  had 
encompassed  their  overthrow.  The  bloody  feuds  that 
had  made  Peru  and  Chili  known  over  the  world  as  the 
land  of  war,  still  possessed  them.  At  a  time  when 
Pizarro  believed  himself  so  secure  in  power  that  he 
could  ignore  the  conspiracies  of  his  enemies,  nineteen 
men  of  Chili,  sworn  to  secure  the  rights  of  Almagro's 
young  son  and  restore  their  own  fortunes,  entered 
Pizarro's  house  about  midday,  with  the  unconcealed 
intention  of  taking  his  life.  The  old  conqueror,  not 
having  time  to  buckle  on  his  armor,  bound  a  cloak 
around  his  arm  and  swung  his  sword  with  all  the  old- 
time  vigor. 

'What  ho!"  he  cried,  "you  traitors!  Have  you 
come  to  kill  me  in  my  own  house?" 

Two  of  the  conspirators  fell  under  the  blows  of  the 
sword,  when  the  leader  pushed  one  of  his  men  upon 
the  dangerous  weapon,  and,  as  it  entered  his  body, 
the  others  sprang  forward  and  brought  the  old  man 
dying  to  the  floor.  "J^su,  have  mercy!"  he  cried, 
making  a  cross  on  the  floor  with  his  bloody  hand.  As 
he  stooped  to  kiss  the  sign,  some  one  threw  a  heavy 
jar  in  his  face,  and  thus  died  the  conqueror  of  the 
Incas.  So  pitiable  was  his  fate  that,  as  Gomarra,  the 
Spanish  historian,  says,  'There  was  none  even  to  say, 
'God  forgive  him.'  " 


I 


WHERE   THE   SPANIARD   COULD  NOT 
CONQUER 

A   STORY    OF   DE  SOTO. 

A  remarkable  similarity  is  found  in  the  wretched 
fate  of  the  great  Spanish  discoverers  and  the  fruits  of 
the  misrule  that  followed  the  Spanish  conquerors. 
The  tracks  of  the  English,  French  and  Spanish  explor- 
ers crossed  several  times  in  the  New  World,  and  in 
every  instance  the  experience  of  the  Spaniards  with 
the  Indians  was  unique. 

This  was  notably  the  case  in  the  expedition  that 
discovered  the  Mississippi  River.  The  Spanish  con- 
querors met  a  very  different  enemy  in  Florida  than 
they  had  known  in  Mexico,  Central  or  South 
America.  Although  the  northern  Indian  was  less  ad- 
vanced in  the  arts  claimed  by  civilization,  yet  the 
broad  territory  known  as  Florida,  became  a  continual 
burying  ground  for  all  who  attempted  to  enrich  them- 
selves at  the  expense  of  the  natives,  distinguished  as 
the  North  American  Savages. 

In  1 52 1,  eight  years  after  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  had 
discovered  Florida,  he  returned  to  the  coast  on  a  con- 
quering expedition  with  three  vessels.  At  the  first 
landing,  all  of  his  men  were  killed  excepting  seven, 
who,  though  so  badly  injured,  succeeded  in  reaching 
Cuba,  where  all  died  of  their  wounds.  Seven  rich  men 
of  San  Domingo,  a  year  or  two  later,  went  to  Florida 

163 


i64  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

for  slaves.  They  succeeded  in  inducing  large  num- 
bers of  the  natives  to  visit  the  ships,  when  the  Span- 
iards weighed  anchor  and  sailed  away.  Only  one  of 
the  ships  reached  Hispaniola,  and  that  without  a  single 
Indian,  as  all  had  either  committed  suicide  or  delib- 
erately starved  themselves  to  death. 

In  1524,  Vasquez  Lucas  de  Aillon  undertook  the 
role  of  conqueror.  He  succeeded  in  getting  back  to 
San  Domingo  with  about  one-tenth  of  his  men,  most 
of  them  afterward  dying  of  their  wounds.  Five  years 
later  Pamphile  de  Narbeaz  entered  Florida  with  three 
hundred  men.  After  hardships  of  the  most  incredible 
character,  six  survivors  succeeded  in  reaching  Mexico. 

But  the  most  notable  of  all  for  picturesque  incident 
was  the  romantic  expedition  of  Hernando  de  Soto  in 
1539.  Not  contented  with  the  enormous  fortune  he 
had  amassed  in  the  conquest  of  Peru,  he  desired  to 
become  the  Pizarro  of  North  America.  Emperor 
Charles  V  made  De  Soto  Governor  of  Santiago,  Cuba, 
and  Governor-General  of  the  territory  to  be  con- 
quered. De  Soto  then  fitted  out  the  expedition  at  his 
own  expense.  He  had  married  the  daughter  of  Pedra- 
rias  Davilla,  who  had  been  betrothed  to  Vasco  Nunez 
de  Balboa,  and  she  sailed  with  him  to  his  new  mar- 
quisate.  De  Soto's  wife  was  thus  the  granddaughter 
of  the  Marchioness  of  Moya,  who  was  so  long  the  inti- 
mate friend  and  companion  of  Queen  Isabella,  and  the 
unfailing  friend  of  Columbus.  As  they  approached 
the  harbor  of  Santiago,  a  typical  incident  occurred. 
A  troop  of  horsemen  came  racing  down  to  the  shore, 
beckoning  wildly  and  calling  out  "Starboard,  star- 
board !"  at  the  top  of  their  voices.    The  ships  turned 


I 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  167 

as  directed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  horsemen  began 
to  beckon  for  them  to  turn  in  the  opf)osite  direction, 
calHng  out  as  wildly  as  before,  "Larboard,  larboard !" 
The  ships  turned  just  in  time  to  escape  being  dashed 
to  pieces  upon  the  rocks.  As  it  was,  De  Soto's  vessel 
sustained  severe  damage,  and  the  passengers  were  so 
alarmed  that  they  escaped  to  the  shore  in  their  small 
boats.  It  was  then  learned  that  the  Governor  of  Santi- 
ago, in  great  alarm,  believing  the  approaching  fleet  to 
be  French  corsairs,  had  sent  the  horsemen  to  the  shore 
to  decoy  them  into  a  channel  of  sunken  rocks.  This 
fear  of  French  corsairs  had  been  occasioned  by  a  com- 
bat, very  singular  according  to  modern  ideas  of  naval 
warfare,  which  had  taken  place  ten  days  before  in  the 
harbor  in  full  view  of  all  the  people.  No  more  strik- 
ing contrast  is  possible  in  the  history  of  sea  fights 
than  the  ones  that  took  place  at  Santiago  de  Cuba  with 
the  French  in  1538  and  with  the  Americans  in  1898. 

Diego  Perez,  of  Seville,  was  the  owner  of  a  goodly 
ship,  with  which  he  trafificed  among  the  islands.  He 
had  just  entered  the  harbor  of  Santiago  for  the  first 
time,  when  a  French  rover  made  his  appearance 
through  the  narrow  channel  into  the  open  bay.  The 
Spanish  historian  of  that  time  says  that  he  knew  little 
of  Diego  Perez,  but  his  conduct  showed  him  to  be  of 
a  valorous  and  noble  soul. 

When  the  Spaniard  recognized  the  presence  of  the 
Frenchman,  he  also  recognized  that  under  those  cir- 
cumstances it  was  his  duty  to  fight.  Accordingly  they 
came  together  and  fought  until  nightfall.  When  they 
could  no  longer  see  to  strike  at  each  other,  they  agreed 
that  no  gentleman  would  fight  with  cannon,  as  there 


i68  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

was  neither  courage  nor  honor  in  the  use  of  such  a 
weapon.  Then  they  sent  their  compHments  to  each 
other  with  their  most  distinguished  consideration,  and 
made  bountiful  presents  of  fruits,  wines  and  other  deli- 
cacies. They  agreed  to  fight  only  in  the  daytime,  as 
became  men  of  honor.  Nevertheless,  they  kept  sen- 
tinels posted  to  prevent  any  stratagem.  At  daybreak 
the  fight  was  renewed  and  continued  until  each  was 
exhausted  with  hunger.  After  refreshing  themselves 
and  complimenting  each  other  on  the  valor  of  their 
men,  they  fought  again  until  night.  Then  they  visited 
each  other,  with  many  presents  and  with  remedies  for 
the  wounded. 

Great  crowds  of  frightened  people  sat  on  the  shore 
and  watched  the  progress  of  the  battle,  nearly  every 
one  having  all  the  money  he  possessed  wagered  on  the 
result.  During  the  second  night  of  the  conflict,  Perez 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  people  of  Santiago,  reminding 
them  that  he  was  fighting  their  battle.  If  he  won,  he 
would  have  the  Frenchman's  ship,  which  would  be 
reward  enough  for  his  labor,  but  if  he  failed  the 
Frenchman  would  have  his  ship  and  there  would  be 
no  return  for  his  loss,  which  was  already  considerable. 
He  told  them  that  it  was  worth  a  great  deal  to  have 
the  sea  purged  of  such  a  formidable  corsair,  whom  he 
was  now  trying  to  sink  for  their  especial  accommoda- 
tion. L'nder  such  conditions  he  deemed  it  only  fair 
that  in  case  he  lost  his  ship  they  should  render  to  him 
or  his  heirs  its  value.  In  that  case  he  was  ready  to 
triumph  or  die.  But  the  people  ridiculed  his  request, 
saying  that  as  he  had  to  fight  or  die  any  way,  they 
could  not  see  why  they  should  be  called  upon  to  insure 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  169 

him  against  losses  that  would  be  due  to  his  own  weak- 
ness or  cowardice.  Regardless  of  this  ingratitude, 
Perez  resolved  to  obey  the  dictates  of  honor  and  con- 
quer or  die,  that  his  nobleness  of  soul  might  not  be 
called  into  question.  But  the  Frenchman,  seeing  that 
he  could  not  leave  the  harbor  with  honor,  resolved  also 
to  conquer  or  die.  Thus  they  fought  several  days, 
enemies  as  long  as  they  could  see  to  fight,  and  con- 
vivial friends  at  night.  At  last  Perez  noted  that  his 
enemy  seemed  to  be  weakening,  and  he  challenged 
him,  according  to  the  rules  of  war,  to  begin  the  battle 
on  the  next  day  and  to  continue  it  until  one  of  them 
should  be  overcome.  The  Frenchman  agreed,  as  if 
delighted  with  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  victory,  and 
after  an  evening  spent  in  great  hilarity  with  the  Span- 
iard, he  departed  to  his  ship,  agreeing  that  one  or  the 
other  should  not  live  to  see  the  coming  night. 

When  morning  came  the  Frenchman  was  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  The  bay  was  sounded  to  see  if  he  had 
sunk,  but  as  no  trace  of  the  vessel  could  be  found,  it 
was  conjectured  that  he  might  have  sailed  away  in 
the  night  to  secure  help  from  companions  that  were 
probably  not  far  distant. 

When  the  fleet  of  De  Soto  appeared,  the  people 
were  sure  that  it  was  a  French  fleet  come  to  sack  the 
town,  because  the  Frenchman  had  declared,  when  he 
heard  that  the  ungrateful  inhabitants  would  not  agree 
to  recompense  Perez,  that  if  he  survived  he  would 
bring  a  fleet  and  destroy  the  town  composed  of  such 
ungrateful  wretches.  The  horsemen  hurried  to  the 
shore  as  if  to  welcome  their  friends,  thus  hoping  to  lure 
the  Frenchmen  to  their  destruction  upon  the  hidden 


I70  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

rocks.  Happily,  they  discovered  in  time  that  it  was 
their  new  Governor. 

So  rejoiced  were  the  people  that,  according  to  the 
historian,  there  was  nothing  in  the  town  for  a  long 
time  but  sports,  balls,  feasts,  and  masquerades.  In  the 
meantime  the  natives,  seeing  so  many  Spanish  soldiers 
coming  into  their  unhappy  country  and  realizing  that 
nothing  but  the  crudest  slavery  was  before  them, 
began  to  commit  suicide  in  appalling  numbers.  The 
historian  says  that  in  one  village  fifty-six  families  made 
away  with  themselves  in  one  week. 

At  the  end  of  May,  1539,  De  Soto  landed  in  Tampa 
Bay  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  horses  and  an  army 
of  a  thousand  of  the  gayest  and  most  buoyant  Spanish 
cavaliers  that  ever  entered  the  Indies.  About  six 
miles  inland  they  came  to  the  capital  of  the  Indian 
chief  Harriga.  The  historian  says  that  he  had  a  bitter 
hatred  against  the  Spaniards  because  he  had  been  de- 
prived of  his  nose  and  ears  by  Ponce  de  Leon,  who 
had  also  given  the  chief's  mother  to  the  dogs.  Har- 
riga sent  the  women  and  children  to  places  of  safety, 
and  assembled  his  warriors  for  a  desperate  resistance 
to  the  invaders. 

After  several  severe  skirmishes,  the  Spanish  cavalry 
saw  a  small  body  of  Indians  advancing  boldly  toward 
them,  with  no  appearance  of  hostility.  Nevertheless, 
the  horsemen  charged  furiously  upon  them,  and  all 
fled  but  one,  who  stood  in  the  path  with  folded  arms. 
The  nearest  horsemen  were  about  to  strike  him  down 
with  their  swords,  when  he  threw  up  his  hands  and 
cried :  ''Brethren,  I  am  a  Christian.  Slay  me  not,  nor 
these  good  friends,  to  whom  I  owe  my  life." 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  171 

The  astonished  cavalrymen  lowered  their  swords 
and  reined  in  their  horses.  The  friendly  Indians  were 
recalled,  all  were  taken  up  behind  the  cavalrymen, 
and  brought  into  camp.  There  a  curious  story  was 
told. 

Ten  years  before,  one  of  the  ships  that  had  been  left 
behind  by  Narvaez,  while  searching  along  the  coast 
for  him,  saw  some  Indians  on  the  shore  waving  a 
letter.  However,  the  crew  were  so  afraid  of  the  natives 
that  they  would  not  approach  the  shore  until  hostages 
were  sent  to  the  ship.  Four  Indians  then  came  aboard 
and  four  Spaniards  were  sent  ashore.  No  sooner  were 
the  Spaniards  in  the  hands  of  the  savages  than  the 
Indian  hostages  sprang  overboard  and  swam  ashore. 
Then  the  four  Spaniards  on  shore  were  taken  before 
the  chief  who  had  suffered  so  grievously  at  the  hands 
of  Ponce  de  Leon.  The  ship,  in  great  alarm,  sailed 
away,  as  it  then  contained  hardly  enough  sailors  to 
manage  the  vessel. 

All  the  tribe  assembled  to  take  part  in  the  torture 
of  the  captives,  and  the  four  men  were  brought  forth 
to  run  the  gauntlet  of  clubs  and  stones.  One  was  only 
a  boy,  scarcely  eighteen  years  of  age.  When  he  was 
led  into  the  ring,  the  wife  and  daughters  of  the  chief 
begged  for  his  life.  They  pointed  out  that  he  could 
only  have  been  a  child  when  the  chief  suffered  his 
unprovoked  injuries.  In  answer  Harriga  pointed  to 
his  disfigured  face  and  to  the  charnel  house  that  con- 
tained the  bones  of  his  mother. 

Here  and  there  the  Spaniards  ran  in  the  wide  circle 
of  howling  savages,  trying  in  vain  to  escape  the  deadly 
missiles.     Presently  Juan  Ortis,  the  boy  who  had  so 


172  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

engaged  the  interest  of  the  chief's  family,  fell,  seriously 
wounded.  Then  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  chief 
begged  her  father  to  give  the  young  man  to  her  as 
her  slave.  At  last,  when  the  people  were  considerably 
appeased  by  the  amusement  they  had  enjoyed  in  tor- 
turing the  others  to  death,  Harriga  consented,  and 
Juan  Ortis  was  led  away  by  the  girl.  But  his  troubles 
had  only  begun.  Whenever  there  was  any  special 
gathering  of  the  chief's  friends,  he  entertained  them 
with  a  special  spectacle  of  tortures  for  the  youth,  until 
he  would  have  killed  himself  except  for  the  kindness 
and  encouragement  of  the  Indian  maiden.  At  last  she 
secured  for  him  the  post  of  guardian  over  the  chamal 
house,  where  the  dead  were  deposited.  This  onerous 
duty  carried  with  it  the  injunction  that  if  any  of  the 
bodies  were  disturbed  by  beast  or  man  he  should  be 
burnt  to  death.  One  night  he  heard  an  animal  at  the 
body  of  a  child  that  had  been  brought  the  previous 
day.  He  ran  to  the  spot,  but  the  body  was  gone. 
Realizing  that  a  horrible  death  was  certain  to  follow 
as  a  punishment  for  this  neglect,  he  ran  frantically  into 
the  woods,  praying  to  his  patron  saint  not  to  abandon 
him  in  this  misfortune.  Presently  he  heard  a  sound 
similar  to  that  of  a  dog  crunching  a  bone.  Stealing 
forward  in  the  shadows,  he  saw  a  gaunt  timber  wolf 
in  a  moonlit  place,  feeding  upon  the  body.  With  a 
prayer  to  the  Virgin,  he  launched  his  javelin,  and  then 
fell  upon  his  face  and  prayed  till  morning.  There  he 
was  discovered  by  the  parents  of  the  child,  who  had 
come  to  pay  to  its  body  the  last  rites.  A  few  steps 
away  they  found  the  dead  child,  and  by  it  the  wolf 
transfixed  with  the  spear.    The  whole  village  praised 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  173 

his  courage,  and  petitioned  Harriga  to  mitigate  his 
severity  with  the  Spaniard.  But  the  chief  declared 
that  the  white  man  was  a  constant  reminder  of  the 
injuries  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  his  cruel 
nation,  and  that  at  the  next  festival  the  hated  slave 
should  be  tortured  to  death. 

Juan  Ortis,  now  seeing  nothing  before  him  but  a 
horrible  death,  decided  to  kill  himself.  As  he  was 
meditating  one  night  in  deep  despair  over  the  des- 
perate fate  that  had  overtaken  him,  and  was  thinking 
mournfully  of  the  terrible  contrast  between  his  present 
condition  and  the  hopes  he  had  when  he  sailed  away 
from  his  people  in  Spain,  he  heard  a  light  step  behind 
him  among  the  dead  in  the  grewsome  charnel  house. 
The  moon  had  just  risen,  and  the  shadows  were  so 
deep  that  he  did  not  recognize  the  chief's  daughter 
until  she  was  at  his  side. 

"Listen  to  me,"  she  said,  softly,  "and  have  the  cour- 
age to  do  as  I  say.  To-morrow  night  at  this  hour  a 
man  will  tap  three  times  on  the  rear  wall.  Follow 
him  at  a  distance  without  a  word,  until  you  come  to 
a  bridge  twelve  miles  away,  and  you  will  be  safe."  She 
further  explained  that  the  guide  would  then  give  him  a 
talisman,  which  he  should  carry  to  Mucoso,  a  neigh- 
boring chieftain,  who  loved  her,  but  who  was  an  enemy 
of  her  father.  The  guide  would  show  him  the  path 
which  led  to  the  capital  of  Mucoso,  about  twelve  miles 
further  on.  As  soon  as  he  saw  Mucoso  he  must  give 
that  chieftain  the  talisman  and  implore  his  protection 
from  Harriga.  No  more  could  she  do;  for  the  rest 
he  must  trust  to  himself  and  his  God. 

Ortis  was  so  overcome  at  her  kindness  that  he  fell 


174  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

upon  the  ground  and  kissed  her  feet.  At  this  demon- 
stration of  gratitude,  she  left  him,  saying,  ''Do  as  I 
bid  you,  and  travel  only  at  night." 

drtis  feverishly  awaited  the  hour  that  promised  him 
escape.  At  the  appointed  time  the  signal  knocks  were 
heard,  and  he  followed  the  guide,  gliding  northward 
silently  through  the  forest  till  they  came  to  the  boun- 
dary bridge.  Here  the  talisman,  which  was  to  insure 
the  favor  of  Mucoso,  was  given  him,  and  the  way  he 
was  to  follow  pointed  out. 

The  following  day  he  remained  hidden,  and  the  next 
morning  he  approached  near  the  village  of  Mucoso. 
A  crowd  of  Indians  saw  him  and  were  about  to  kill 
him,  when  he  showed  them  his  talisman  and  called  for 
their  chief.  He  was  then  brought  before  Mucoso,  who 
heard  his  story  and  received  the  gift.  The  chief  was 
so  pleased  with  the  confidence  of  the  princess  who 
had  sent  the  white  slave  to  him,  that  he  took  Ortis 
into  his  own  household  and  treated  him  as  a  brother. 

Harriga  was  furious  at  thus  losing  an  opportunity 
to  revenge  himself  for  his  injuries.  He  demanded  the 
return  of  the  white  slave,  but,  regardless  of  many 
injuries  inflicted  in  consequence  upon  his  people  by  the 
angry  Harriga,  Mucoso  never  betrayed  his  trust. 
Hearing  that  a  number  of  his  countrymen  had  landed 
on  the  near  coast,  he  set  out  at  once  to  seek  them. 

It  was  several  days  before  Ortis  could  make  himself 
understood  in  Spanish,  as  his  ten  years  of  captivity 
had  almost  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his  mother 
tongue.  De  Soto  was  greatly  pleased,  as  it  insured 
him  an  interpreter  and  a  faithful  adviser  concerning 
the  customs  and  habits  of  the  Indians.    Having  gone 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  175 

naked  so  many  years,  it  took  a  month  of  painful  usage 
before  he  could  endure  to  wear  the  suit  of  black  velvet 
given  him  by  De  Soto. 

The  story  of  the  wanderings  of  the  explorers  from 
the  time  they  left  Tampa  Bay  until  the  miserable  rem- 
nant of  less  than  one^third  arrived  in  Mexico,  is  inter- 
esting chiefly  to  the  historical  student,  excepting  for 
a  few  typical  incidents  and  remarkable  adventures. 
The  man  who  had  been  so  conspicuous  with  Pizarro 
in  the  conquest  of  Peru,  found  that  his  experience  and 
fortune  were  unavailing  against  the  unexpected  cour- 
age, power,  and  patriotism  of  the  unconquerable 
North  Americans.  The  rich  and  enlightened  natives 
of  Mexico  and  Peru,  however  great  their  numbers  or 
however  bold  their  stand,  became  panic-stricken  at  the 
first  sound  of  guns  and  the  charge  of  the  cavalry,  but 
the  North  Americans  stood  their  ground  and  launched 
arrows  that  pierced  bucklers  and  mail  with  the  power 
of  bullets.  Frequently  they  fought  until  the  last  man 
had  been  cut  down  by  the  sword,  a  weapon  against 
which  they  had  no  defense.  The  Spaniards  could 
never  have  overcome  them  nor  governed  them.  It 
took  a  hardier  and  more  judicial  race  to  dispossess  the 
North  Americans  of  their  homes  and  lands. 

From  the  time  the  Spaniards  landed  at  Tampa  until 
they  left  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  in  their  frail 
boats,  they  were  incessantly  harassed  by  the  furious 
and  implacable  natives.  The  Spanish  historians  relate 
with  amazement  many  instances  of  unaccountable 
defiance  and  courage. 

In  one  instance,  while  in  Alabama,  some  advanced 
cavalry   came   upon   a   half  dozen     Indian   hunters. 


1^6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Although  these  natives  had  never  before  seen  white 
men  or  horses,  they  drew  a  line  across  the  path  and 
made  sign  to  inform  the  intruders  that  if  they  dared 
to  cross  the  line  they  were  dead  men.  Astounded  at 
such  remarkable  audacity,  they  dashed  across  the  line 
and  put  the  barbarians  to  the  sword,  but  not  until  half 
of  the  men  were  seriously  wounded  and  two  of  them 
dead.  One  Spaniard  was  pinned  to  his  frantic  animal 
with  an  arrow  which  passed  through  his  thigh,  pierced 
the  saddle,  and  entered  six  inches  into  the  side  of  the 
horse.  Two  of  the  horses  had  been  killed  with  arrows 
driven  entirely  through  their  bodies. 

After  the  battle  with  the  Tula  Indians,  four  of  the 
foot-soldiers  and  two  horsemen  came  upon  an  Indian 
hiding  in  a  clump  of  bushes.  The  horsemen  immedi- 
ately rushed  upon  him  with  their  swords.  The  savage 
did  not  await  their  attack,  but  sprang  at  them  with  an 
axe  which  he  had  captured  in  the  late  battle.  His 
first  stroke  broke  the  descending,  sword,  crashed 
through  the  buckler,  and  almost  severed  the  horse- 
man's arm.  Whirling  about,  he  sunk  the  axe  into  the 
shoulder  of  the  other  horse  with  such  force  that  the 
animal  fell,  throwing  his  rider  forward,  stunned,  upon 
the  ground.  One  of  the  foot-soldiers  aimed  a  blow  at 
the  savage,  but  the  axe  met  the  descending  sword  and 
crushed  the  buckler  against  the  man's  shoulder  so 
heavily  that  he  was  knocked  breathless  to  the  ground. 
The  next  nearest  soldier  was  an  expert  swordsman, 
and  as  the  Indian  turned  upon  him  the  Spaniard  deliv- 
ered a  blow  with  his  sword  which  severed  the  red 
man's  right  arm,  and  the  axe  fell  to  the  ground.  The 
Indian  then  leaped  upon  his  foe,  trying  to  grasp  the 


(fi 

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X 

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COULD  NOT  CONQUER  179 

Spaniard's  throat  with  his  left  hand,  but  the  swords- 
man skillfully  interposed  his  shield  and  nearly  severed 
the  body  of  his  naked  enemy  with  a  downward  blow  of 
his  keen-edged  weapon. 

The  examples  of  individual  heroism  which  the 
Spaniards  so  frequently  met  were,  as  they  found  to 
their  sorrow,  common  to  entire  tribes,  so  that  the  won- 
der is  that  any  of  De  Soto's  men  ever  lived  to  tell  the 
story.  In  the  province  of  Vitachuco,  ruled  over  by 
three  brothers,  the  Spaniards  met  the  most  determined 
and  systematic  resistance.  Vitachuco,  the  eldest 
brother,  governed  half  the  province.  The  younger 
brother  warned  Vitachuco  that  the  Spaniards  were 
the  children  of  heaven,  and  therefore  invincible.  The 
elder  brother  replied  that  men  who  carried  off  women, 
plundered  property,  and  lived  upon  the  labor  of  others 
were  traitors,  robbers  and  murderers,  who  were  more 
likely  children  of  the  devil.  He  reminded  his  brothers 
that  having  made  themselves  slaves  of  the  invaders, 
he  did  not  expect  anything  else  of  them  than  that  they 
would  praise  their  masters.  He  also  admonished  his 
brothers  that  men  of  merit  and  valor  did  not  leave  their 
own  country  to  become  brigands  in  other  lands,  make 
slaves  of  free-born  men,  and  incur  the  undying  hatred 
of  those  who  were  as  brave  and  honorable  as  them- 
selves. 

The  two  brothers  yielded,  however,  to  the  blandish- 
ments of  the  Spaniards,  and  Vitachuco  found  it  neces- 
sary, in  order  to  prepare  a  plan  to  overwhelm  the 
invaders,  that  he  should  appear  to  do  likewise.  He 
sumptuously  entertained  the  army  in  his  capital  four 
days,  in  the  meantime  assembling  secretly  ten  thou- 


i8o  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

sand  of  his  subjects,  who  hid  their  weapons  in  the 
neighboring  forest  and  entered  the  town  bearing  wood 
and  provisions  under  the  pretext  of  serving  the  Span- 
iards. With  great  skill  he  planned  to  invite  De  Soto 
and  his  men  to  witness  a  review  of  his  subjects  on  an 
adjoining  plain,  at  which  the  commander  was  to  be 
seized  upon  a  given  signal,  and  the  Indians  were  to 
draw  their  concealed  weapons  from  their  cloaks  and 
annihilate  the  invaders.  Doubtless  the  plan  would 
have  succeeded  if  it  had  not  been  necessary  for  Vita- 
chuco  to  take  into  his  confidence  two  or  three  of  the 
interpreters  who,  in  the  hope  of  greater  reward  from 
the  Spaniards,  revealed  the  plot  to  Juan  Ortis.  He 
at  once  told  De  Soto  and  a  plan  was  made  to  give 
the  savages  a  lasting  lesson. 

Twelve  Spaniards  placed  themselves  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  at  a  sign  from  De  Soto  they  could  seize  the 
chief.  The  cavalry  followed  near  and  the  infantry,  in 
full  readiness,  marched  on  either  side.  Ten  thousand 
Indians,  apparently  unarmed,  were  drawn  up  for  the 
proposed  review,  in  the  form  of  a  crescent  upon  the 
plain.  The  infantry  and  cavalry  came  rapidly  into 
position  for  a  charge  before  the  Indians  could  realize 
the  intention.  Suddenly  a  musket  was  fired  and 
before  the  Indians  could  draw  their  bows  the  cavalry 
was  upon  them  with  murderous  sword-thrusts  which 
found  ready  mark  in  the  unprotected  bodies.  The 
infantry  charged  with  a  volley  from  their  muskets  and 
then  rushed  into  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  with  their 
swords.  Vitachuco,  though  taken  in  complete  sur- 
prise, fought  like  a  snared  tiger,  killing  two  men 
before  he  could  be  bound.     His  followers  fought  not 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  i8i 

less  furiously,  but  their  bows  were  of  little  service  in 
such  a  close  conflict  with  the  Spaniards'  weapons. 
No  valor  could  withstand  so  unequal  a  struggle  and 
they  fled  before  their  relentless  pursuers.  Nine  hun- 
dred of  them,  cut  off  from  escape,  threw  themselves 
into  a  little  lake  near  by  to  avoid  the  deadly  blows  of 
the  swords.  The  Spaniards,  returning  from  the 
slaughter  of  flying  Indians,  surrounded  the  little  lake 
and  kept  the  swimmers  out  in  deep  water  by  shooting 
those  who  came  near  the  shore.  This  continued  from 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  the  desperate  swim- 
mers were  not  idle.  Garcilasso,  the  historian  of  the 
expedition,  says  that  three  or  four  would  swim  abreast 
and  another  elevating  himself  upon  their  backs  would 
send  an  arrow  with  such  unerring  aim  and  force  that 
a  soldier  was  almost  invariably  wounded  or  killed. 

At  night  huge  bonfires  were  built  around  the  water 
and  it  was  closely  infested  with  watchmen,  who  shot 
all  who  attempted  to  escape.  It  was  a  perilous  task, 
since  numbers  of  the  Indians  swam  near  the  shore  in 
the  shadows  and  then  dived  to  the  water's  edge,  when 
they  would  leap  out,  strike  down  the  nearest  man  with 
their  bows  as  clubs,  and  then  endeavor  to  escape  in 
the  darkness  of  the  woods.  Few  succeeded,  how- 
ever, as  the  bloodhounds  usually  brought  down  those 
the  Spaniards  failed  to  kill.  When  morning  came 
such  promises  were  made  to  the  exhausted  survivors 
that  about  two  hundred  surrendered.  The  others  con- 
tinued in  the  water  until  they  had  been  swimming 
more  than  twenty-four  hours,  when  all  came  ashore 
but  seven  young  chiefs  who  could  not  be  persuaded  to 
surrender.     At  last,  when  it  was  seen  that  they  were 


1 82  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

about  to  drown  from  exhaustion,  twelve  strong  swim- 
mers went  in  and  brought  them  out  unconscious, 
dragging  them  by  the  hair  of  the  head.  It  was  found 
that  they  were  young  chiefs,  none  of  whom  were  over 
eighteen  years  of  age. 

Every  Spaniard  now  had  a  slave  and  it  was  believed 
that  the  hostile  tribe  was  so  nearly  destroyed  that  it 
would  be  the  part  of  wisdom  tO'  offer  Vitachuco  his 
freedom  on  condition  that  he  make  peace  with  his 
captors.  But  the  savage  defied  them,  saying  that  he 
preferred  death  to  their  friendship.  Nevertheless  he 
was  treated  as  a  distinguished  captive,  and  four  of  his 
domestics  were  detailed  to  wait  upon  him.  Resolved 
not  to  live  in  captivity  or  slavery  to  the  white  men,  he 
secretly  sent  word  to  all  the  captives  that  at  a  certain 
time  while  eating  at  the  table  with  De  Soto  he  would 
attempt  to  kill  him,  and  that  all  who  preferred  death 
to  slavery  should,  when  his  voice  was  heard,  follow  his 
example  and  attempt  to  kill  their  masters. 

This  time  there  was  none  to  betray  him.  Seven 
days  after  his  capture,  as  the  chief  and  De  Soto  had 
just  finished  their  morning  meal,  the  Indian  arose 
and  bent  his  body  backward,  stretched  out  his  arms 
and  clenched  his  fists,  beat  his  chest  with  such  blows 
that  the  sounds  could  be  heard  half  across  the  camp, 
uttered  a  bellow  like  a  wild  bull,  and  then  leaped  sud- 
denly upon  De  Soto,  bearing  him  instantly  to  the 
fioor.  The  officers  present  sprang  to  the  assistance 
of  their  commander,  and  sheathed  a  dozen  swords  in 
the  back  of  the  chief,  but  before  this  could  be  done 
De  Soto  had  been  struck  so  fiercely  with  the  bare 


I 


I 


COULD  NOT  CONQUER  183 

fists  of  the  Indian  that  he  was  unconscious  for  half  an 
hour.  Blood  flowed  from  his  mouth,  nose  and  ears, 
several  teeth  were  broken,  and  it  was  twenty  days 
before  he  could  take  the  bandages  from  his  face. 

At  the  sound  of  the  chief's  voice,  every  slave  with- 
out exception  sprang  upon  his  master.  As  few  of 
them  had  any  better  weapon  than  their  bare  hands 
only  four  white  men  were  killed,  but  all  were  sorely 
wounded  before  they  could  draw  their  swords  and  kill 
their  assailants.  In  half  an  hour  nearly  a  thousand 
Indian  captives  perished  thus  rather  than  to  serve 
their  captors. 

After  De  Soto's  death  and  his  burial  in  the  Missis- 
sippi, not  far  below  Memphis,  the  survivors  deter- 
mined to  make  their  way  to  Mexico.  During  a 
winter's  work  enough  boats  were  constructed  to  hold 
them  all  and  they  embarked  down  the  river  which 
De  Soto  had  named  the  Chucagua. 

Scarcely  had  they  set  sail  when  the  natives,  who 
had  never  ceased  to  harass  them  while  on  land,  now 
appeared,  following  them  in  boats  as  large  and  well 
manned  as  their  own.  The  enemy's  fleet  continued 
to  augment  until  there  were  more  than  a  thousand 
boats.  Although  the  Indians  ventured  no  pitched 
battles,  yet  they  made  the  night  hideous  with  their 
songs  and  shouts,  while  the  day  never  ended  without 
the  death  of  one  or  more  Spaniards  by  the  deadly 
arrows  that  almost  constantly  fell  upon  them.  All 
the  way  down  the  long  course  of  the  lower  Mississippi 
this  dreadful  pursuit  continued  until  the  Gulf  was 
reached.     Then    with    songs   of   joy  and  shouts  of 


1 84  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

triumph  for  having  driven  away  the  pale-faced 
invaders,  the  pursuers  turned  back  to  their  homes  sev- 
eral hundred  miles  away,  and  the  remnants  of  a  proud 
Castilian  army  of  invasion  and  conquest  followed  the 
shore  for  many  weary  weeks  until  they  reached  the 
settlements  in  Mexico — a  pitiable  crowd  of  spiritless 
beggars. 


I 


ADVENTURES  IN  SEARCH  OF  EL 
DORADO. 

The  sensation  produced  during  the  present  genera- 
tion by  the  discoveries  of  gold  has  caused  vast  num- 
bers of  fortune  hunters  to  carry  civiHzation  to  distant 
portions  of  the  earth,  which  it  would  have  taken  ages 
to  have  peopled  otherwise.  These  gold  seekers  came 
from  among  busy  and  prosperous  communities. 
With  such  a  condition  in  mind,  it  is  easier  to  form  a 
correct  idea  of  the  eagerness  with  which  a  nation  of 
needy  idlers  just  released  from  the  excitements  of  war, 
would  rush  to  the  New  World,  which  afforded  unlim- 
ited opportunity  for  romantic  adventures,  and  where 
incomparable  riches  were  to  be  obtained  in  a  day  by 
the  capture  of  temples,  towns,  Montezumas,  and 
Incas.  Within  fifty  years  from  the  first  voyage  of 
Columbus,  Spain  had  overrun  the  whole  of  the  West- 
ern Hemisphere  south  of  the  latitude  of  Northern 
Texas.  The  age  of  Argonauts,  Phoenicians,  and  Her- 
cules had  suddenly  returned  to  the  Spanish  nation. 
The  most  fabulous  stories  w^ere  readily  believed,  for 
fabulous  things  had  actually  been  accomplished. 
Those  whose  imaginations  were  especially  susceptible 
to  the  romantic,  found  a  wide  and  fertile  field  in 
adventurous  searches  for  the  amazons  and  El  Dorado. 
Both  were  largely  mythical,  but  the  belief  in  them  was 
universal    through    two    centuries,  and  they  led  to 

185 


1 86  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

adventures  unparalleled  by  such  as  Don  Quixote  or 
the  heroes  of  the  Grecian  epics. 

The  currently  accepted  story  was  that  a  younger 
brother  of  Atabalipa  had  fled  across  the  Andes,  after 
the  destruction  of  the  Incas,  with  incalculable  treas- 
ures, and  founded  a  great  empire.  This  Emperor  was 
variously  known  as  the  Great  Paytiti,the  Great  Moxo, 
the  Great  Enim,  and  the  Great  Paru. 

Pedro  Ortez  of  Lima  was  lost  on  one  of  the  expedi- 
tions into  the  mountains  to  the  east  of  Cuzco  and  after 
a  year  reappeared  with  the  sensational  story  that  he 
had  been  captured  and  taken  to  Manoa,  the  capital 
city  of  the  golden  Emperor.  During  the  latter  part 
of  the  journey  he  had  been  kept  blindfolded,  and  after 
his  escape  he  had  wandered  about  lost  in  the  forests 
so  long  that  he  had  no  idea  how  to  return.  The  only 
relic  he  had  been  able  to  retain  was  a  map  of  the 
city. 

The  wonderful  capital  was  situated  on  three  hills, 
one  of  which  was  of  gold,  another  of  silver,  and  the 
other  of  salt.  The  Emperor*s  palace  was  supported 
by  columns  of  porphyry  and  alabaster,  and  the  gal- 
leries were  of  ebony  and  cedar.  His  throne  was  of 
ivory  and  the  steps  to  it  were  of  gold.  Every  detail 
was  carefully  marked  out  on  a  piece  of  white  cloth  by 
Ortez.  He  led  an  expedition  in  search  of  the  city, 
but  was  unable  to  find  it. 

The  historian  Martin  del  Barco  found  a  chief  who 
had  been  on  a  friendly  visit  to  Manoa,  but  would  not 
betray  its  location.  From  this  chief,  Barco  learned 
that  the  palace  of  the  golden  chieftain  was  made  of 
marble.      Its  temple  contained  two  towers  twenty- 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  187 

five  feet  high,  holding  between  them  at  the  top  a  great 
silver  moon.  At  the  base  were  two  monster  silver 
lions  secured  by  heavy  gold  chains.  The  immense 
gates  of  the  palace  were  made  of  copper.  In  the 
temple  was  a  sun  of  gold  covering  the  entire  eastern 
end.  Here  were  kept  in  sacred  seclusion  the  hundred 
virgins  of  the  sun  who,  each  morning  at  sunrise, 
anointed  the  Emperor  with  a  fragrant  gum  of  great 
price  and  blew  gold  dust  on  him  through  reeds  until 
he  was  thoroughly  gilded  from  head  to  foot.  This 
was  all  removed  in  his  bath  after  he  had  partaken  of 
his  breakfast.  From  this  custom  he  received  the 
name  of  El  Hombre  Dorado,  meaning  the  gilded 
man. 

In  1595,  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  wrote  a  book  entitled 
"The  Great  and  Golden  City  of  Manoa,  which  the 
Spaniards  call  El  Dorado."  This  he  afterward 
extended  by  a  history  of  the  Lake  of  Parima. 

Nothing  was  listened  to  in  Europe  or  America  with 
such  avidity  as  stories  of  El  Dorado.  Southey  in  his 
history  of  Brazil  makes  the  statement  that  the  Spanish 
expeditions  in  search  of  El  Dorado  cost  Spain  more 
treasure  than  was  ever  received  from  all  her  American 
possessions.  Among  the  most  noted  of  these  elabo- 
rate expeditions  was  one  led  by  Balalcazar  from 
Quito,  another  by  Federmann  from  Venezuela,  and 
another  by  Quesada  along  the  way  of  the  Rio  Mada- 
lena.  Orellana,  whose  name  was  for  a  long  time 
given  to  the  Amazon  River,  was  one  of  the  most  per- 
sistent hunters  for  El  Dorado,  but  like  the  searches  of 
Diego  Ordace,  Berreo,  and  Martynes,  a  life  was  spent 
with  no  worthy  results. 


i88  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Curiously  enough,  the  first  extensive  attempt  to  find 
El  Dorado  was  set  on  foot  by  some  rich  merchants  of 
Augsburg,  Germany.  Ambrosio  de  Alfinger,  of  Ulm 
in  Suabia,  was  German  agent  at  the  Spanish  capital 
for  the  Welser  family  and  mercantile  company.  He 
secured  a  lease  of  Venezuela,  then  comprising  the 
greater  part  of  Northern  South  America.  Within 
a  year  after  the  marvelous  ransom  in  1533,  of  Ata- 
huallpa,  Inca  of  Peru,  the  exploits  of  Cortes  and 
Pizarro  had  penetrated,  in  the  most  brilliant  and 
romantic  colors,  even  to  the  lowest  peasantry  of  the 
Old  World,  and  Europe  was  wild  with  the  gold  fever. 
In  the  center  of  the  gorgeous  picture  of  the  popular 
imagination,  sat  the  gilded  chieftain  on  a  throne  of 
gold,  surrounded  by  golden  treasures  of  incomparable 
and  boundless  value. 

In  1529,  Alfinger  set  out  from  Coro  with  200  men, 
and  1,000  slaves,  loaded  with  provisions  like  pack 
mules.  The  methods  of  Cortes  and  Pizarro  were  mild 
and  humane  in  comparison  with  his  treatment  of  the 
natives.  Slaughter  and  torture  were  both  diversion 
and  business  in  the  extraction  of  gold.  When  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars'  worth  had  been  secured,  fifty 
men  with  a  hundred  slaves  were  ordered  to  return 
with  it  to  Coro.  The  dense  forests,  vine-entangled 
undergrowth,  and  insect-infested  swamps,  impeded 
their  progress  and  one  by  one  the  slaves  sank  beneath 
their  burdens  of  gold  until  the  Spaniards  found  them- 
selves the  bearers  of  the  precious  cargo.  Presently 
there  were  frequent  accidents  by  which  the  golden 
loads  were  lost  in  the  swamps,  and  by  the  end  of  a 
month  there  were  neither  slaves  nor  burdens  and  the 


.^'y 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  191 

fifty  men  had  been  reduced  to  less  than  a  score  by 
fever  and  famine.  Three  men,  naked  and  dying, 
reached  Coro.  A  year  later,  Alfinger  returned  with 
a  ragged  handful  of  his  men  and  about  two  hundred 
slaves  bearing  about  forty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
gold. 

On  April  5,  1536,  when  the  whole  of  Spain  was 
burning  with  the  fever  excited  by  the  marvelous  treas- 
ures of  Peru,  Georg  von  Speyer,  the  German  Gov- 
ernor of  Venezuela,  gathered  a  force  of  about  fifteen 
hundred  men,  determined  to  find  El  Dorado  and  his 
temples  of  untold  gold.  Half  of  this  command  was 
intrusted  to  the  Governor's  lieutenant,  a  young  licen- 
tiate, Gonzalo  Ximenez  de  Quesada  of  Granada,  who, 
from  the  extensiveness  of  his  conquests,  became 
known  as  El  Conquistador.  He  was  the  Cortes  and 
Pizarro  of  Northern  South  America  without  their 
excessive  cruelty.  Early  in  1537  he  reached  the 
plains  of  Cundinamarca  with  166  men,  having  lost 
nearly  six 'hundred  through  hunger  and  hardship. 
Here  was  the  home  of  El  Dorado,  such  as  it  was  out- 
side of  the  myths. 

According  to  Pedro  Simon,  the  Jesuit  historian  of 
that  time,  and  another  careful  investigator,  Piedrahita, 
bishop  of  Panama,  the  gilded  man  ceased  to  exist  two 
years  before  the  discovery  of  America,  but  his  fame 
continued  among  the  natives  all  over  South  America. 
They  told  the  story  wherever  they  met  Spaniards, 
whose  excitable  imaginations  at  once  connected  him 
with  the  lost  treasures  of  the  Incas.  D'Acosta 
explained  the  legend  as  follows :  "When  the  chief  of 
Guatavita  was  independent,  he  made  a  solemn  sacrifice 


X9^  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

every  year,  which,  for  its  singularity,  contributed  to 
give  celebrity  to  the  lake  Guatavita.  On  the  day 
appointed  the  chief  smeared  his  body  with  turpentine, 
and  then  rolled  in  gold  dust.  Thus  gilded  and 
resplendent,  he  entered  a  canoe,  surrounded  by  his 
nobles,  whilst  an  immense  multitude  of  people,  with 
music  and  songs,  crowded  around  the  shores  of  the 
lake.  Having  reached  the  center,  the  chief  deposited 
his  offerings  of  gold,  emeralds,  and  other  precious 
things,  and  then  jumped  in  to  bathe.  At  this  moment 
the  surrounding  hills  echoed  with  the  applause  of  the 
people;  and,  when  the  religious  ceremony  concluded, 
the  dancing,  singing  and  drinking  began." 

In  1590,  the  Muysca  Indians  of  Bogota  made  war 
on  the  tribe  of  the  gilded  man  and  almost  destroyed 
them,  thus  putting  an  end  to  the  ceremonies  of  El 
Dorado. 

When  the  Spaniards  suddenly  appeared  before  the 
first  village  of  the  Muysca  Indians  on  the  plains  of 
Cundinamarca,  the  natives  fled  in  terror  from  what 
they  believed  to  be  man-eating  monsters,  and  fortified 
themselves  in  a  ravine  near  Zorocota.  After  trying 
in  vain  to  dislodge  them  from  their  stronghold,  Ques- 
ada  returned  discouraged  to  his  camp.  As  the  hun- 
gry Spaniards  were  eating  the  food  they  had  captured, 
two  horses  broke  loose  and  ran  snorting  and  chasing 
each  other  toward  the  Indian  warriors.  Believing 
that  the  strange  beasts  had  been  let  loose  upon  them 
to  devour  them,  they  fled  to  the  highest  points  of  the 
overhanging  rocks.  At  the  ravine  the  Spaniards 
found  an  old  man  bound  to  a  stake.  A  red  cap  was 
placed  on  his  head  and  he  was  set  free.     Supposing 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  19^ 

that  the  man  had  been  returned  because  he  was  con- 
sidered too  old  for  food,  the  natives  cast  several  chil- 
dren over  the  rocks  into  the  camp.  As  the  Spaniards 
pityingly  buried  the  unfortunate  infants,  the  Indians 
then  sent  into  camp  by  some  slaves,  two  young 
women  and  a  live  stag.  The  strangers  showed  their 
appreciation  by  eating  the  stag  and  returning  the 
women  loaded  with  presents  that  appeared  very  costly 
to  them.  Thus  reassured,  the  natives  visited  the 
Spanish  camp  and  entered  into  a  friendly  alliance. 

At  Guatavita,  the  home  of  the  Dorado,  Quesada 
met  the  fiercest  resistance.  When  they  were  at  last 
conquered  not  an  ounce  of  gold  could  be  found.  It 
was  said  that  the  inestimable  treasures  had  been 
thrown  into  the  lake.  Some  years  later  the  lake  was 
dragged  to  see  if  the  lost  treasures  could  be  recovered, 
but  the  bottom  was  so  soft  and  the  water  so  deep  that 
only  a  few  insignificant  ornaments  could  be  found. 
In  the  lagoon  of  Siecha,  a  group  of  ten  golden  figures 
was  recovered  representing  the  gilded  chieftain  on  a 
raft. 

Quesada  secured  his  first  considerable  treasure  at 
the  chief  remaining  village  of  the  Tunja  Indians,  who 
had  formerly  been  subjects  of  El  Dorado.  When  the 
booty  was  heaped  in  the  courtyard  it  made  a  pile  so 
high  that  a  horse  and  rider  could  be  hidden  behind  it. 

"Peru!  Peru!"  cried  the  delighted  victors.  "We 
have  found  a  second  Cassamalca  and  Cuzco." 

The  temple  of  Iraca  promised  a  still  greater  amount, 
but  while  it  was  being  despoiled  the  building  caught 
fire  and  was  consumed  with  all  its  great  store  of  gold, 
silver,  and  emeralds.     Notwithstanding  all  the  losses. 


194  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

the  treasure  secured  amounted  to  about  three  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  in  gold,  half  as  much  more  in 
silver  and  at  least  a  quarter  million  in  emeralds. 

Near  the  Spanish  headquarters,  Quesada  founded, 
in  1538,  the  present  city  of  Bogota,  now  the  capital 
of  the  United  States  of  Colombia.  In  1540,  a  brother 
of  the  conqueror  tried  to  drain  Guatavita,  the  lake  of 
El  Dorado,  but  he  succeeded  only  partially,  recover- 
ing in  all  about  five  thousand  dollars  for  his  trouble. 

But  no  one  had  yet  seen  the  gilded  chieftain  and 
his  countless  treasures.  The  interest  in  him  was 
therefore  unabated  and  every  story  of  captured  treas- 
ures only  heated  the  imagination  of  the  fortune  hunt- 
ers and  adventurers  all  the  more. 

In  1 54 1  the  Welsers  sent  Philip  von  Hutten,  a 
knight  of  Wurtemburg,  with  a  hundred  horsemen 
along  the  trail  of  Quesada.  They  became  lost  and 
for  two  years  wandered  about  the  wilderness,  at  last 
coming  back  to  the  place  where  they  had  lost  the 
trail.  Having  collected  among  the  natives  satisfac- 
tory evidence  that  the  gold  lands  were  to  the  east,  he 
set  out  in  that  direction  with  forty  horsemen.  In  a 
few  days  they  came  to  fields  cultivated  by  slaves  and 
then  to  a  bowl-shaped  valley,  in  the  center  of  which 
was  a  town  larger  and  more  substantially  built  than 
any  they  had  yet  seen  in  South  America.  It  was  built 
regularly  around  a  great  public  square,  in  which  stood 
a  temple  towering  high  above  the  others.  The 
smooth  walls  of  yellow  clay  glistened  in  the  declining 
sun  and  the  excited  imagination  of  both  Spaniards 
and  Germans  saw  before  them  the  long-sought  city  of 
El  Dorado.     As  they  talked  among  themselves,  they 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  195 

grew  more  and  more  sure  that  before  them  was  a  city 
built  of  gold  in  which  there  were  greater  spoils  for  the 
mere  taking  than  had  ever  been  seen  in  all  the  careers 
of  Cortes  and  Pizarro. 

Carefully  adjusting  their  armor,  and  looking  to 
their  weapons,  they  fell  into  line  and  charged  down 
the  hill  at  full  speed.  What  the  natives  thought  when 
they  beheld  the  apparition  of  flying  steeds  may  not  be 
known,  but  the  war  drums  sounded  and  warriors 
swarmed  into  the  streets  and  fearlessly  met  the  fright- 
ful and  unknown  foe  just  outside  the  town.  At  the 
place  of  meeting  the  ground  was  cut  with  gullies  and 
piled  with  rocks.  The  savages  had  the  advantage  and 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  Von  Hutten  succeeded 
in  escaping  to  a  battleground  favorable  to  horsemen. 
Darkness  had  come  on  with  the  suddenness  common 
to  such  latitudes  and  the  Omaguas,  as  this  famous 
tribe  was  called,  left  the  field  for  the  night.  Fray 
Pedro  Simon  says  that  the  next  morning  fifteen  thou- 
sand or  more  Indians  appeared  ready  for  the  battle. 
Having  in  mind  the  valiant  examples  of  the  conquer- 
ors in  Mexico  and  Peru,  the  horsemen  charged  com- 
pactly into  the  mass  of  savages.  But  the  Omaguas 
were  a  different  people.  They  fought  with  caution 
and  courage.  The  confident  onslaught  was  turned 
into  a  struggle  for  life.  Nearly  half  of  the  men  had 
been  torn  from  their  horses  and  slain  before  the 
remainder  succeeded  in  cutting  their  way  out  of  the 
host  of  warriors  and  escaping.  The  fame  of  the 
Omaguas  spread  and  the  whole  gold-seeking  world 
became  convinced  that  their  capital  city  was  the  home 
of  the  Dorado  with  all   his   fabulous   treasures.     It 


196  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

therefore  became  the  object  of  many  expeditions,  but 
its  distance  from  the  coast  and  the  fierceness  of  its 
warriors  protected  it  successfully  from  European 
greed  and  invested  it  with  all  the  colors  of  the  wildest 
romance. 

Two  hundred  years  later,  the  Omaguas  were  visited 
by  La  Condamine,  and  he  found  a  flourishing  and 
home-loving  people.  Yet  another  hundred  years  and 
Lieutenant  Herndon  found  them,  in  1852,  with  the 
same  virtues,  but  consisting  all  told  of  only  232  per- 
sons. 

When  the  Spaniards  of  Peru  heard  the  story  of  the 
golden  capital  of  the  Omaguas,  it  fitted  so  well  the 
stories  current  among  the  Peruvians  of  the  lost  treas- 
ures of  the  Incas  that  the  fever  for  conquest  again 
seized  the  followers  of  Almagro  and  Pizarro,  who  had 
been  so  long  engaged  chiefly  in  slaying  each  other  in 
their  bloody  feuds. 

In  1555,  when  the  Marquis  of  Canete,  a  scion  of  the 
noble  house  of  Mendoza,  was  appointed  viceroy  of 
Peru,  he  broke  the  destructive  domestic  conflict  by 
sending  the  leaders  away  on  adventurous  expeditions 
in  search  of  the  Dorado  and  the  golden  capital  of  the 
Omaguas.  It  was  the  universal  testimony  of  the 
Peruvians  that  after  the  capture  of  the  Inca  Atahuallpa 
at  Cassamalca  by  Pizarro,  forty  thousand  of  the  nobil- 
ity assembled  vast  stores  of  their  most  precious  and 
costly  treasures,  which  they  carried  across  the  Andes 
east  of  Cuzco,  where  they  founded  a  golden  city  in 
the  midst  of  the  great  forests,  inaccessible  to  horse- 
men. 

Juan  Alvarez  Maldonado,  one  of  the  most  turbulent 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  199 

of  the  Almagro  faction,  was  given  the  special  task  to 
discover  and  despoil  that  city.  Gomez  de  Tordoya, 
one  of  the  partisans  of  the  Pizarros,  heard  of  this  and 
hastily  fitted  out  a  rival  expedition,  intending  to  get 
to  the  scene  of  the  spoils  before  Maldonado.  There 
was  a  rush  between  the  two  packs  of  Spanish  wolves 
to  see  which  could  first  reach  the  golden  spoils. 
Tordoya  reached  the  shores  of  the  Tono  River  first, 
but  was  soon  overtaken  by  Maldonado.  They  fell 
upon  one  another  and  fought  for  three  days,  when, 
with  nearly  half  killed  on  each  side,  Tordoya's  men 
surrendered.  Meantime  great  numbers  of  the 
Chunchos  Indians  had  been  gathering  and  they 
watched  the  singular  conflict  with  unabated  delight. 
At  its  conclusion,  they  fell  upon  the  exhausted  sur- 
vivors and  killed  all  but  Maldonado,  who  saved  him- 
self by  hiding  in  a  hollow  log.  He  was  an  enormously 
fat  man,  but  his  energy  and  endurance  was  such  that 
he  succeeded  in  escaping  back  across  the  Andes  to 
Cuzco. 

Where  gold  was  the  lure,  no  disaster  was  sufficient 
to  dampen  the  ardor  and  enthusiasm  of  the  Spaniard. 
Pedro  Hernandez  de  Serpa  landed  at  Cuma  with  one 
of  the  largest  forces  that  had  ever  sought  to  penetrate 
to  the  golden  city,  but  not  a  man  ever  returned  from 
the  great  forests  which  they  entered  with  boundless 
enthusiasm.  In  March,  1570,  Don  Pedro  de  Silvia 
left  Burburuta  with  the  purpose  of  finding  the  Dor- 
ado. He  crossed  the  Llonos  and  arrived  in  Peru  with 
less  than  a  fourth  of  his  men,  and  still  the  fame  of  the 
spoils  of  El  Dorado  and  the  golden  capital  of  the 
Omaguas   increased   with   every   failure.       Gonzalo 


200  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Pizarro,  brother  of  the  great  conqueror,  sought  to 
retrieve  his  falling  fortunes  by  crossing  the  Andes  in 
search  of  El  Dorado,  and  all  the  great  geographers  of 
that  time  gave  a  definite  location  to  the  mythical  city 
of  Manoa  on  the  mythical  great  White  Sea.  Even 
as  late  as  1844  Van  Heuvel,  a  native  of  New  York 
City,  traveling  in  Guiana,  wrote  a  book  in  the  full 
belief  that  there  was  a  veritable  Dorado  living  in  the 
golden  city  of  Manoa  on  the  Mar  Blanco. 

For  three  centuries  the  whole  of  South  America  was 
filled  with  the  most  wonderful  stories  of  these  golden 
places  and  the  most  remarkable  experiences  and 
adventures  were  continually  occurring  in  the  fruitless 
searches  for  them. 

Don  Enrique  Rubio  was  one  of  the  first  to  claim  the 
glory  of  having  seen  the  Dorado  in  his  temple  in  the 
singular  city  of  Manoa  on  the  Mar  Blanco.  On  one 
of  the  expeditions,  three  Omagua  chiefs  were  treach- 
erously taken  prisoners  at  a  council  to  which  they  had 
been  invited.  On  the  following  day  they  were  to  be 
tortured  to  death,  as  many  hundreds  of  Indians  had 
been  before  them,  with  the  purpose  of  forcing  them  to 
reveal  the  location  of  their  golden  city.  Rubio  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  playing  a  role  for  his  own  profit  and 
glory.  He  made  himself  appear  to  be  the  friend  of 
the  chiefs,  that  he  greatly  deplored  the  treachery  that 
had  been  practiced  upon  them,  and  that  he  would 
liberate  them  if  he  could  find  the  opportunity.  He 
possessed  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  Indian  lan- 
guages to  make  himself  understood,  and  by  shielding 
them  from  indignities  he  gained  their  confidence. 
When  morning  came  it  was  discovered  that  Rubio 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  201 

and  the  three  chiefs  had  disappeared.  A  year  passed 
and  Rubio  returned  to  Cuzco  with  a  story  of  having 
visited  El  Dorado,  which  was  the  basis  for  many  of 
the  remarkable  romances  that  spread  over  Spanish 
America. 

In  1 53 1,  Diego  de  Ordas  was  sent  eastward  on  an 
expedition  in  search  of  El  Dorado  and  he  got  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  the  Caroni  on  the  Orinoco,  when  all 
his  powder  was  destroyed  while  being  dried  in  the 
sun.  This  was  said  to  have  been  caused  by  the  negli- 
gence of  Juan  Martinez,  the  munitioneer.  He  was 
accordingly  tried  and  sentenced  to  death,  but  the 
intercession  of  his  comrades  caused  Ordas  to  alter  the 
punishment  to  that  of  being  placed  in  a  canoe  without 
oars  or  food  and  set  adrift  in  the  Orinoco. 

Nearly  two  years  later  some  Indians  brought  a 
white  man  to  the  Island  of  Margarita,  who  was  wasted 
almost  to  a  skeleton  by  starvation,  naked,  except  for 
untanned  skins  tied  about  his  feet  and  loins,  and  so 
crazed  that  he  did  not  know  his  name.  A  ship  was 
about  to  leave  for  Porto  Rico  and  the  captain  carried 
the  unfortunate  man  to  San  Juan,  where  he  was  cared 
for  in  a  convent  of  Dominican  friars.  He  talked 
incessantly,  though  incoherently,  of  the  golden  shores 
of  the  Mar  Blanco,  and  of  the  golden  temples  of 
Manoa.  Although  his  wasted  system  could  not 
recuperate,  his  mind  was  restored  to  health  under  the 
attentive  care  of  the  fathers.  So  far  he  had  never 
allowed  the  skin  that  was  bound  about  his  loins  to  be 
touched  by  any  one.  He  now  took  it  ofif  and  gave  it 
to  the  friars,  who  found  that  it  contained  several 
pounds  of  gold  that  looked  like  very  coarse  sand.    On 


202  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

being  questioned,  he  told  a  remarkable  story  of  the 
experience  that  had  brought  him  to  such  a  state. 

He  was  Juan  Martinez,  who  had  been  set  adrift  by 
Diego  de  Ordas.  The  terror  of  the  awful  solitudes 
had  been  harder  to  bear  than  his  suffering  for  food. 
The  monsters  of  the  swamps  had  followed  him  by  day 
and  the  fierce  animals  of  the  dark  woods  had  tried  to 
make  him  their  prey  at  night.  In  this  state  he  took 
a  fever  and  lay  down  in  the  bottom  of  his  boat  to  die. 
How  long  he  floated  that  way  he  could  not  tell,  for 
he  first  came  to  consciousness  by  hearing  voices  of  men 
near  him.  They  touched  him  and  spoke  to  him  as 
with  great  curiosity,  since  he  was  the  first  white  man 
they  had  ever  seen.  When  he  tried  to  walk  and  could 
not  they  carried  him  with  great  tenderness  upon  their 
backs.  Presently  they  blindfolded  him  and  carried 
him  thus  fourteen  days.  At  last  he  heard  many  voices 
about  him  from  men,  women,  and  children.  The 
blindfold  was  taken  off  and  he  saw  around  him  the 
houses  of  a  great  city.  Over  the  portals  of  every  door 
were  images  of  gold,  and  soon  they  came  to  a  clear 
lake  more  than  a  league  across,  around  whose  shores 
he  could  see  temples  and  palaces  supported  on  rows 
of  great  golden  pillars.  Seeing  the  remarkable  bril- 
liancy of  the  sand  along  the  shore,  he  asked  to  be  set 
down  a  moment,  when  he  scooped  up  a  handful  and 
found  to  his  amazement  that  it  was  all  pure  gold. 

The  following  morning  he  was  taken  before  the 
King,  who  sat  on  a  massive  throne  in  the  temple  of  the 
sun,  attended  by  a  hundred  virgins.  The  stranger 
was  treated  very  kindly  and  was  adopted  into  the 
nation  through  a  curious  ceremony  of  immersion  in 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  203 

a  great  basin  of  perfumed  water,  followed  by  sprink- 
ling with  a  dust  of  gold  and  then  another  immersion 
in  the  lake.  Everybody  then  treated  him  as  a  brother 
and  he  soon  recovered  and  grew  strong.  He  re- 
mained seven  months,  and  never  in  all  that  time  saw 
an  act  of  crime  or  a  single  case  of  distress  that  it  was 
possible  to  relieve,  for  every  one  believed  that  the 
well-being  of  every  other  person  was  of  equal  impor- 
tance with  his  own,  and  friendship  was  the  only  law. 

However,  there  came  a  time  when  he  began  to 
long  to  see  people  of  his  own  customs,  habit,  and 
religion.  He  asked  consent  to  be  allowed  to  go  on 
to  the  rising  sun  where  his  people  lived,  and  permis- 
sion was  readily  given.  Half  a  dozen  warriors  were 
appointed  to  conduct  him  to  the  borders  of  the  king- 
dom, and  as  he  passed  by  the  shores  of  the  Mar  Blanco 
he  filled  several  small  bags  with  the  sands  of  gold  and 
tied  them  about  his  waist. 

As  he  was  about  to  part  from  his  friends  at  the 
border  they  were  suddenly  set  upon  by  a  party  of 
hunters  and  killed.  Martinez  succeeded  in  hiding 
himself  in  some  driftwood,  and  so  escaped,  but  the 
horrors  of  the  forest  became  even  greater  than  before, 
and  he  lost  all  memory  of  his  experiences  until  he 
found  himself  being  cared  for  at  the  island  of  Mar- 
garita off  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco. 

The  good  Dominican  fathers  of  San  Juan  took 
down  in  detail  the  elaborate  testimony  of  the  dying 
man  and  sent  the  gold  sand  to  the  King  of  Spain.  It 
was  one  of  the  sensations  of  Europe,  rivaling  in  public 
interest  the  discoveries  and  conquests  of  Cortes, 
Pizarro,  and  Quesada.     Geographers  placed  the  city 


204  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

of  Manoa  and  Mar  Blanco  on  their  maps,  and  his- 
torians discussed  very  learnedly  in  their  writings,  the 
probable  location  of  the  city  of  gold  and  the  lake  of 
priceless  sands.  England,  Portugal,  and  Holland 
vied  with  Spain  in  expeditions  sent  out  by  their 
respective  governments  in  search  for  the  wonderful 
home  of  El  Dorado,  but  the  city  of  the  unfortunate 
Juan  Martinez  was  never  found. 

Among  the  extraordinary  adventures  occasioned  by 
the  search  for  El  Dorado  one  of  the  strangest  was 
that  of  two  priests  and  six  soldiers  in  1640.  A  soldier 
came  privately  to  the  Governor  at  Moyobamba,  claim- 
ing that  he  had  seen  the  golden  city.  He  was  the 
only  survivor  of  a  score  of  men  who  had  set  out  alone 
to  find  the  home  of  the  gilded  chief  from  directions 
given  by  a  friendly  Indian.  The  others  had  all 
perished  from  the  hardships  of  the  journey. 

The  Governor  sent  two  hundred  men,  under  his 
guidance,  to  verify  his  discoveries.  After  two  weeks' 
travel  nearly  due  eastward  to  one  of  the  tributaries 
of  the  Maranon,  the  guide  insisted  that  it  was  neces- 
sary for  the  gilded  chieftain  to  be  first  approached  by 
an  embassy  consisting  of  a  dozen  men  and  two  priests. 
It  would  take  them  only  four  days  to  make  this  recon- 
noissance  and  return.  Accordingly  the  two  priests 
and  twelve  men  set  forth  to  open  friendly  negotiations 
with  El  Dorado.  The  army  waited  in  vain  for  their 
return.  Scouting  parties  were  sent  out,  but  neither 
Spaniards  nor  signs  of  inhabitants  could  be  found, 
much  less  of  the  far-famed  golden  city. 

Late  in  the  following  year,  the  two  priests  and  six 
of  the  soldiers  arrived  at  Para  on  the  mouth  of  the 


SEARCH  OF  EL  DORADO  205 

Amazon,  all  of  them  maniacs,  who  never  recovered 
their  reason.  They  raved  incessantly  till  their  death 
about  the  golden  sands  of  Lake  Parima  and  the  hor- 
rible tortures  that  had  been  inflicted  upon  them  in 
the  temple  of  the  sun.  Their  story  created  great 
excitement  in  Brazil  and  led  to  many  fruitless  expedi- 
tions. 

Of  all  the  marvelous  adventures  through  the  vast 
wildernesses  of  the  Amazon,  from  the  voyage  of  Orel- 
lana  in  1 540,  none  equaled  in  heroism  the  last  that  is 
worthy  of  special  mention.  This  journey,  in  1769, 
was  not  that  of  a  lot  of  sinewy  and  hardened  men, 
but  by  a  delicate  and  refined  woman,  doubtless  the 
greatest  feat  ever  performed  by  a  woman.  Many  his- 
torians concede  to  her  the  honor  of  being  the  greatest 
heroine  known  in  the  history  of  South  America. 

Her  story  is  told  in  full  by  her  husband  in  a  letter 
to  the  historian  La  Condamine,  which  was  published 
in  that  writer's  book  of  Journeys  through  South 
America. 

Her  husband  had  been  absent  several  years  on  a 
scientific  expedition  for  the  government,  intended  to 
clear  up  many  myths,  when  she  heard  that  he  had 
arrived  at  a  certain  point  on  one  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Amazon  and  was  preparing  to  send  for  her.  Wish- 
ing in  her  fondness  and  joy  to  anticipate  him,  she  set 
forth  to  meet  him  with  her  two  brothers,  two  maids, 
and  three  male  servants.  With  amazing  persever- 
ance and  resolution,  she  continued  on  and  on  until  the 
point  was  reached  where  her  husband  was  said  to  be, 
only  to  find  that  it  was  all  false.  He  had  never  been 
near  there.     By  this  time  their  horses  were  dead,  and 


2o6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

to  attempt  to  return  by  foot  through  the  difficulties 
they  had  encountered  was  certain  death.  Near  them 
was  the  Amazon,  at  whose  mouth  they  knew  there 
were  Christian  settlements.  It  was  their  only  hope. 
They  got  a  boat  from  some  friendly  Indians  and  set 
themselves  adrift  on  the  stream  that  was  to  carry  them 
through  the  awful  tunnel  of  forests  to  the  distant  sea. 
After  a  time  their  boat  was  destroyed  in  some  rapids 
and  they  continued  on  foot  through  the  noxious 
jungles.  One  by  one  the  two  maids  and  five  men 
died,  until  she  was  alone,  but  undaunted  she  continued 
on.  After  seven  months  she  reached  the  territory  of 
some  Indians  who  were  friendly  to  the  French  settle- 
ments about  ten  days'  journey  away.  There  they  car- 
ried her,  where  she  was  kindly  cared  for  until  her 
wasted  and  famine-stricken  body  was  restored,  but 
her  snow-white  hair  remained  as  a  witness  to  her 
unparalleled  suffering  and  courage. 

Her  husband  supposed  she  had  perished,  but  a  few 
years  later  she  was  able  to  communicate  to  him  her 
safety  and  there  was  a  happy  meeting  in  Venezuela 
after  a  separation  of  fourteen  years. 


ADVENTURES  OF  THE  MARANONES. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  first  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence in  America  was  issued  by  the  craziest  lot  of 
brigands  ever  known.  It  was  a  formal  document 
drawn  up  and  signed  by  the  Maranones  on  the  Ama- 
zon and  forwarded  to  King  Philip  of  Spain  in  the  year 
1 561.  Whether  the  leader  was  a  maniac  or  a  monster 
he  may  be  safely  granted  the  palm  of  being  the  most 
detestable  character  produced  in  the  conquest  of 
America,  and  of  having  conducted  the  wildest  and 
most  appalling  expedition  in  the  annals  of  history. 

In  1548,  two  hundred  soldiers  filed  out  of  the  public 
square  of  Potosi  on  their  way  to  Tucuman.  Although 
it  was  against  the  law,  each  soldier  had  an  Indian  slave 
to  carry  his  baggage.  The  licentiate  of  the  town,  not 
having  the  means  at  hand  to  enforce  the  law  against 
so  many,  and  yet  not  wishing  to  see  it  utterly  ignored, 
seized  the  last  man  passing  the  gate  and  ordered  him 
to  be  given  the  full  penalty  of  two  hundred  lashes. 
This  soldier,  known  as  Lope  de  Aguirre,  implored  the 
licentiate  or  alcalde  to  put  him  to  death  rather  than  to 
have  him  flogged,  since  he  was  a  gentleman  by  birth 
and  the  brother  of  a  man  who  was  lord  of  vassals  in 
Spain. 

But  the  alcalde  decided  that  an  example  must  be 
made  and  ordered  the  punishment  to  be  given  regard- 
less  of   petitions   from   both   citizens   and   soldiers. 

207 


2o8  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Accordingly,  the  accused  was  stripped  naked  and  put 
astride  backwards  on  a  donkey.  In  this  state,  he 
was  publicly  whipped  at  the  crossings  of  all  the  streets 
in  the  town. 

Aguirre  refused  to  proceed  on  his  way  to  Tecuman, 
but  remained  at  Potosi.  Esquivel,  the  licentiate 
alcalde,  divining  that  revenge  was  meditated,  sur- 
rounded himself  with  a  strong  guard,  and  when  his 
term  of  office  expired,  removed  to  Lima.  Aguirre 
followed  him,  openly  asserting  that  nothing  but  the 
death  of  the  licentiate  by  assassination  would  avenge 
the  insult  of  the  punishment  that  had  been  given. 

Esquivel  removed  secretly  to  Quito,  then  to  Cuzco, 
but  Aguirre  followed  him  with  the  persistence  and 
menace  of  a  bloodhound,  going  all  the  way  from  place 
to  place  on  foot,  without  shoes  or  decent  clothing, 
saying  that  a  gentleman  so  disgraced  as  himself  had 
no  right  to  live  among  civilized  people,  or  to  avail 
himself  of  the  conveniences  of  Christians  until  the 
shame  had  been  blotted  out  in  blood. 

Esquivel  went  heavily  armed  day  and  night,  accom- 
panied by  a  servant  likewise  prepared.  The  judge  at 
Cuzco  ordered  the  officers  of  the  peace  to  keep  a  strict 
watch  for  the  arrival  of  Aguirre  and  to  arrest  him  at 
the  first  suspicious  act. 

For  three  years  and  four  months  the  implacable 
Spaniard  pursued  the  purpose  of  revenge  without  an 
opportunity  for  its  execution.  When  Aguirre  found 
that  Esquivel  was  at  Cuzco,  he  determined  to  wait  no 
longer  for  opportunities.  On  a  certain  Monday  at 
noon,  the  singular  avenger  reached  Cuzco,  inquired 
for  the  house  of  Esquivel,  and  having  found  it,  boldly 


OF  THE  MARANONES  211 

entered.  Stabbing  the  watchman  or  bodyguard  be- 
fore an  outcry  could  be  raised,  he  searched  through 
the  rooms  until  he  found  the  lawyer  at  work  in  his 
library.  There  he  informed  the  surprised  enemy  in 
measured  terms  that  one  of  them  must  die  within  the 
hour  in  honorable  duel  with  swords.  No  alternative 
was  at  hand,  and  when  some  visitors  came  in  later  in 
the  day  they  found  the  lawyer  face  downward  upon 
the  floor  grasping  a  broken  sword  in  his  lifeless  hand. 

Aguirre  sought  out  a  brother  of  one  of  his  com- 
rades in  the  army  who  successfully  concealed  the  mur- 
derer through  nearly  two  months  of  vigilant  search, 
when,  disguised  as  a  negro,  he  got  safely  out  of  the 
country. 

About  this  time,  two  hundred  Indians  arrived  at 
La  Fronteria  in  Peru  with  the  remarkable  story  that 
they  had  started  four  thousand  strong  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Amazon  river,  led  by  two  Portuguese,  in  search 
of  El  Dorado.  All  the  rest  had  perished.  The  land 
of  the  Dorado  had  been  found  when  they  were  too 
weak  and  disorganized  to  attempt  any  conquest. 
Their  testimony  corroborated  the  wildest  fiction 
known  of  the  inexhaustible  treasures  awaiting  the 
spoilsmen  in  the  golden  city  of  the  Omaguas. 

Anarchy  had  hertofore  reigned  in  Peru,  but  at  this 
time  Hurtado  de  Mendoza,  Marquis  of  Caneta,  was 
enforcing  the  law  and  bringing  order  out  of  chaos. 
In  consequence  there  was  an  ungovernable  rabble 
of  ruffians  who  were  anxious  to  leave  the  country  and 
whom  the  viceroy  was  as  anxious  to  see  depart. 

The  story  of  the  Brazilian  Indians  afforded  the  de- 
sired opportunity  to  the  Governor.     He  organized  an 


212  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

expedition  to  overrun  the  territory  of  the  Omaguas 
and  to  capture  their  golden  city  and  gilded  chieftain. 
As  was  expected,  all  the  outlaws  and  malefactors  of  the 
country  flocked  to  the  standard  of  the  expedition.  A 
strong  man  was  needed  to  lead  such  an  army,  and  the 
viceroy  selected  Pedro  de  Ursua,  a  knight  who  was 
related  to  the  overseer  of  Ximines  de  Quesada,  con- 
queror of  Cundinamarca. 

The  army  of  about  a  thousand  men,  and  as  many 
slaves,  was  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  colon- 
ists with  their  household  goods,  who  were  to  form  the 
proposed  settlements  in  the  land  of  the  Dorado.  In 
this  way  there  were  included  about  a  hundred  women. 
Ursua,  the  leader,  was  devoted  to  Inez  de  Atienza  of 
Pinira,  the  young  and  beautiful  widow  of  Pedro  de 
Arcos.  Castellanos,  who  received  his  information 
from  survivors  of  the  marvelous  expedition,  bears 
testimony  to  her  beauty,  accomplishments,  and 
spirited  youth.  He  believed  her  to  have  been  an 
honorable  and  virtuous  woman.  Vasquez,  who  was 
with  the  expedition,  and  Ortiguera,  who  had  access 
to  reliable  information,  both  assert  that  she  was  the 
mistress  of  Ursua,  and  Vasquez  lays  to  her  charge  the 
murder  of  that  unfortunate  captain,  but  the  writings 
of  those  men  convict  them  of  the  inclination  to 
blacken  a  woman's  character  rather  than  to  defend  it. 
Simon  and  Piedrahita,  two  friars  who  regarded 
women  as  the  special  instruments  of  Satan,  and  who 
got  their  facts  sixty-two  years  later,  spare  no  terms  in 
heaping  abuse  upon  her.  Others,  however,  regard 
her  as  one  of  the  greatest  heroines  of  Spanish  Amer- 
ica, as  well  as  one  having  the  most  pitiful  career.    This 


OF  THE  MARANONES  213 

much  seems  true  that  when  Pedro  de  Ursua,  the 
chivalrous  knight  of  Navarre,  already  famous  in  Peru 
for  his  subjugation  of  the  savages  about  Quito,  met 
the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Dofia  Inez,  they  fell 
deeply  in  love  with  each  other.  Then  he  was  sent  on 
a  long  and  dangerous  mission  across  the  Cordilleras 
from  which  it  was  likely  that  he  would  never  return. 
The  gently  nurtured  woman  abandoned  the  luxuries 
and  comforts  of  an  elegant  home,  against  the  remon- 
strances of  her  friends,  to  brave  the  unknown  dangers 
of  a  search  for  El  Dorado  in  an  expedition  with  her 
lover.  Simon  pauses  in  the  midst  of  his  vituperation 
of  her  character  to  admit  that  before  the  departure 
of  the  expedition,  Ursua  took  the  Lady  Inez  with  him 
to  Moyombamba  with  the  expressed  intention  of  mar- 
rying her,  and  there  is  not  a  word  of  evidence  from 
any  source  that  this  was  not  done.  Simon  asserts 
that  after  the  death  of  Ursua  she  displayed  the  utmost 
vileness  in  becoming  the  mistress  of  his  murderers, 
but  it  may  be  remembered  in  her  favor  that  she  was  a 
helpless  and  broken-hearted  woman  in  the  power  of 
the  most  abandoned  ruffians  known  among  the  male- 
factors of  Spanish  America. 

In  July,  1560,  the  army  and  colonists  started  across 
the  Andes  upon  their  mad  and  murderous  cruise  down 
the  Amazon  and  through  two  thousand  miles  of 
almost  uninhabitable  forests.  Such  were  their  diffi- 
culties in  travel  that  in  a  few  weeks  three  hundred 
horses,  six  hundred  cattle,  and  nearly  all  the  house- 
hold goods  were  abandoned.  At  the  end  of  six 
months,  most  of  the  colonists,  being  unused  to  such 


214  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

hardships,  had  died,  and  there  was  general  discontent 
in  the  army.  The  occasion  was  ripe  for  a  conspiracy 
and  the  conspirator  was  at  hand. 

Ursua  decided  to  stop  at  a  point  known  as  Machi- 
paro  to  rest  and  repair  their  boats.  This  was  the 
opportunity  desired  by  the  arch  malefactor,  Lope  de 
Aguirre.  From  the  day  when  he  had  been  publicly 
flogged  through  the  streets  of  Potosi,  he  had  day  and 
night  meditated  revenge  against  the  state  whose  laws 
were  the  cause  of  his  disgrace.  The  long  sought 
means  seemed  now  at  hand,  and  with  consummate 
cunning  and  address  he  took  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunity. He  gathered  together  the  malcontents  and 
proposed  to  remove  Ursua  and  place  their  own  men 
at  the  head. 

On  New  Year's  night,  while  Juan  Gomez  was  senti- 
nel before  the  captain's  tent,  a  figure  clothed  as  a 
ghost,  passed  by  exclaiming,  "Pedro  de  Ursua,  knight 
of  Navarre  and  Governor  of  Omagua  and  El  Dorado, 
may  God  have  mercy  on  thy  soul." 

The  captain  called  to  the  sentinel  to  know  who  had 
spoken  and  what  had  been  said.  The  trembling  senti- 
nel told  him,  but  he  made  light  of  the  warning  and 
returned  to  sleep.  The  next  evening,  two  hours  after 
sunset,  some  of  the  conspirators  came  up  to  him 
where  he  lay  in  his  hammock,  and  before  he  could 
defend  himself,  ran  him  through  with  their  swords. 

Aguirre  showed  the  mutineers  that  through  this  act 
they  had  become  outlaws  without  hope  of  mercy  from 
Spain.  He  urged  them  to  return  to  Peru  and  effect 
the  independence  of  that  country,  but  the  larger  fac- 
tion, under  Fernando  de  Guzman,  decided  to  con- 


OF  THE  MARANONES  215 

tinue  in  pursuit  of  El  Dorado.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Japura  River,  a  three  months'  rest  took  place,  during 
which  Agnirre  attained  complete  ascendancy  in  the 
councils  of  the  army.  Assassination  was  the  order 
of  both  day  and  night,  and  a  word  uttered  against  the 
will  of  the  leader  meant  death.  His  ambition  broad- 
ened into  a  scheme  of  unparalleled  audacity.  Strong 
brigantines  were  built,  in  which  they  were  to  sail  down 
the  river  to  the  sea,  capture  the  island  of  Margarita, 
take  by  surprise  Nombre  de  Dios  and  Panama,  and 
from  these  vantage  points  effect  the  liberation  of 
Spanish  America.  Accordingly  a  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence, the  first  issued  in  America,  was  drawn  up, 
and  signed  by  every  member  of  the  army  excepting 
three,  one  of  whom,  Francisco  Vasquez,  succeeded  in 
preserving  his  life,  and  afterward  became  the  historian 
of  the  expedition. 

The  declaration  was  a  remarkable  document 
addressed  to  ''King  Philip,  native  of  Spain,  son  of 
Charles  the  Invincible,"  and  ran  as  follows : 

"I,  Lope  de  Aguirre,  thy  vassal,  a  Christian  of  poor, 
but  noble  parents,  and  native  of  the  town  of  Onate  in 
Biscay,  went  over-young  to  Peru  to  labor,  lance  in 
hand.  I  fought  for  thy  glory;  but  I  recommend  to 
thee  to  be  more  just  to  the  good  vassals  whom  thou 
hast  in  this  country.  I  and  mine,  weary  of  the  cruel- 
ties and  injustice  which  thy  viceroy,  thy  governors, 
and  thy  judges  exercise  in  thy  name,  have  resolved  to 
obey  thee  no  more. 

"We  regard  ourselves  no  longer  as  Spaniards.  We 
make  relentless  war  on  thee  because  we  will  no  longer 
endure  the  oppression  of  thy  ministers.     We  care  no 


2i6  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

more  for  thy  pardon  or  thy  wrath  than  for  the  books 
of  Martin  Luther. 

"The  conquest  of  this  country  has  been  without 
danger  or  cost  to  thee,  and  thou  hast  no  more  right 
than  I  to  draw  revenues  from  these  provinces,  or  to 
oppress  the  people  for  being  Hstless  to  thy  will." 

After  reaching  Venezuela,  Aguirre  liberated  a  cap- 
tive monk  on  his  oath  that  he  would  carry  this  delect 
able  document  to  the  King. 

So  indistinct  was  the  geography  of  that  time  that 
no  one  knows  whether  they  sailed  on  down  the  Ama- 
zon or  went  through  one  of  the  numerous  connect- 
ing bayous  into  the  Orinoco.  In  either  case  it  was  at 
this  point  in  the  amazing  expedition  where  the  brutal 
mastery  of  Aguirre  became  unassailable.  His  tyr- 
anny was  so  terrible  that  those  who  hated  him  most 
were  his  most  servile  tools.  To  gain  his  favor  they 
committed  crimes  so  sickening  and  revolting  as  to 
present  a  unique  phenomenon  in  human  nature. 

There  was  one  exception.  In  that  awful  time  Dofia 
Inez  became  the  sole  counsellor  and  guardian  of  the 
score  or  more  of  women  yet  living.  To  save  them 
alive  until  civilization  could  be  reached  was  her  appal- 
ling task.  If  it  is  true  that  virtue  was  traded  for  life, 
it  only  accentuates  the  execration  due  to  the  monsters 
in  power,  and  in  no  way  excuses  the  historians  who 
delight  to  blacken  the  character  of  Dofia  Inez.  That 
Aguirre  hated  and  feared  her  is  testimony  enough  to 
her  heroism,  however  questionable  may  have  been  her 
judgment  of  the  means  necessary  to  avert  death  to 
her  and  the  defenseless  women  who  looked  to  her  for 
help  in  those  days  of  paralyzing^  terror. 


OF  THE  MARANONES  219 

At  last  every  known  enemy  of  Aguirre  had  fallen 
and  he  dared  to  order  her  assassination.  Llamaso 
and  Carrion,  two  candidates  for  the  favor  of  the  leader, 
entered  her  tent,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  screams  of 
her  companions,  killed  her  in  the  most  revolting  man- 
ner. Of  this  foul  deed,  Castellanos  poetically  wrote: 
"The  birds  mourned  on  the  trees,  the  wild  beasts  of 
the  forests  lamented,  the  waters  in  the  rivulets  ceased 
to  sing  on  their  way  through  the  flowers,  and  the 
winds  uttered  their  execrations  over  the  horrid  crime, 
as  Llamaso  and  Carrion  severed  the  veins  of  her  white 
throat.  Wretches !  Wert  thou  born  of  woman?  No ! 
for  even  the  beasts  could  not  bring  forth  a  man  so 
vile.  How  didst  thou  survive  the  imagination  of  so 
enormous  a  wrong?  Only  that  thy  minds  were  dead 
and  thy  souls  were  fled  from  such  foul  clay." 

None  dared  to  touch  her  body  excepting  her  two 
devoted  servants,  who  buried  her  at  the  foot  of  an 
evergreen  tree  and  covered  her  grave  with  the  wild 
flowers  that  grew  around.  On  the  bark  of  the  tree 
they  cut  these  words.  "Here  lies  one  whose  faithful- 
ness and  beauty  were  unequaled  and  whom  cruel  men 
slew  without  cause." 

After  this  the  brutalities  to  the  women  were  such 
that  many  of  them  committed  suicide.  Only  two 
received  protection.  These  were  the  young  half- 
breed  daughter  of  Aguirre  and  her  companion,  Dofia 
Torralva. 

The  horrors  of  their  deeds  were  fully  matched  by 
the  fantastic  follies  committed.  Fernando  de  Guz- 
man of  Seville,  with  many  ridiculous  ceremonies,  was 
made  "Prince  and  King  of  Tierra  Firma  and  of  Peru." 


420  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

He  insisted  on  the  court  etiquette  due  a  King,  and 
thus  produced  the  dissatisfaction  that  gave  an  excuse 
to  Aguirre  for  the  puppet  King's  assassination. 

The  next  morning  after  Guzman's  death,  Aguirre 
surrounded  himself  with  eighty  of  his  special  retainers 
and  proclaimed  himself  ''General  of  the  Maranon." 
Henceforth  his  army  was  known  as  the  Maranones. 
This  name  was  in  use  at  that  time  among  some  geog- 
raphers and  historians  for  the  river  now  known  as 
the  Amazon,  but  there  is  much  reason  to  think  that 
the  Maranones  were  then  on  the  Orinoco. 

About  the  middle  of  July,  1561,  the  brigantines 
carrying  the  Maranones,  now  reduced  to  less  than  two 
hundred  men,  reached  the  island  of  Margarita.  Their 
arrival  created  great  curiosity  and  general  astonish- 
ment. The  Governor,  alcalde  and  their  official 
companions  decided  to  pay  a  visit  of  welcome  to  the 
strange  wanderers.  Aguirre  waylaid  his  visitors  and 
took  them  all  prisoners.  He  then  marched  on  to  the 
town,  took  the  fort  by  surprise  and  possessed  himself 
of  the  island  without  opposition.  All  provisions, 
merchandise  and  money  to  be  found  were  divided 
among  his  soldiers.  The  protesting  citizens  were 
imprisoned  or  slain,  and  the  women  were  given  up 
without  mercy  to  the  debauchery  of  the  ruthless  ruf- 
fians. No  pirates  or  buccaneers  at  a  later  day  ever 
more  brutally  ravaged  a  Spanish  settlement  than  did 
these  savage  followers  of  Aguirre. 

He  needed  for  further  conquest  a  stronger  vessel 
than  his  brigantines,  and  seeing  such  a  ship  anchored 
at  Piritu,  near  the  mainland  opposite  to  Margarita, 
he  sent  some  Maranones  to  seize  it.     They  took  the 


OF  THE  MARANONES  221 

opportunity  to  desert,  and  when  the  vessel  approached 
Margarita  it  was  flying  the  royal  flag.  In  the  mean- 
time, Aguirre  was  so  sure  of  the  vessel  that  he  had 
sunk  his  brigantines.  When  he  saw  the  ship  nearing 
the  harbor  under  the  colors  of  Spain,  he  placed  all  the 
officers  and  the  principal  citizens  in  the  fort  and 
ordered  them  to  be  strangled  at  midnight.  This  was 
done  with  the  usual  promptitude.  He  then  set  the 
bodies  upright  in  an  orderly  row  and  called  all  his 
soldiers  together  in  a  kind  of  "parade  rest"  and  made 
them  a  speech. 

"Well  do  you  see,  O  Maranones,  in  the  bodies 
before  your  eyes  that,  independent  of  the  crimes  you 
committed  in  the  River  Maranon,  you  have  divested 
yourselves  of  all  rights  in  the  Kingdom  of  Castile,  You 
have  foresworn  allegiance  to  the  King  by  swearing  to 
make  perpetual  war  upon  him,  and  you  have  signed 
your  names  to  the  act.  After  adding  yet  many 
crimes,  you  executed  your  sworn  prince  and  lord, 
many  captains  and  soldiers,  a  priest  and  a  noble  lady. 
Having  arrived  at  this  island  you  have  forcibly  taken 
possession  of  it,  divided  the  property  found  in  it 
among  yourselves,  and  committed  sundry  and  divers 
wickedness.  Now  you  have  killed  another  Governor, 
an  alcalde,  a  regidor,  an  alguazil  mayor,  and  certain 
other  citizens  whose  bodies  are  now  witnesses  before 
you. 

"Be  not  deceived  by  any  vain  confidence;  for,  hav- 
ing committed  so  many  and  such  abominable  and 
atrocious  crimes,  be  ye  sure  that  ye  are  not  safe  in 
any  part  of  the  world,  excepting  with  me.  Suppose 
that  by  some  chance  you  should  achieve  the  King's 


222  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

pardon,  know  this,  that  the  friends  and  kindred  of  the 
dead  would  follow  you  until  vengeance  was  done. 

"Thus  are  you  gravely  warned  to  be  united  with 
me,  for  therein  lies  the  question  of  life  and  death." 

The  following  day  the  vessel  bearing  the  deserters 
sailed  away  to  warn  the  coast  and  to  provide  means 
for  the  capture  of  the  traitor.  Aguirre  was  furious 
and  he  began  to  suspect  even  his  most  servile  com- 
panions. Martin  Perez  had  long  been  a  faithful  offi- 
cer as  master  of  the  camp,  but  some  one  anxious  to 
appear  zealous  in  devotion  to  Aguirre  told  him  that 
Perez  seemed  to  be  acting  suspiciously.  The  assas- 
sination of  the  master  of  the  camp  was  ordered,  but 
the  sickening  butchery  was  done  in  such  a  bungling 
manner  that  he  lay  still  alive  on  the  floor,  brained  and 
mutilated  beyong  recognition  when  Aguirre  came  in. 
While  he  was  looking  at  the  writhing  body,  Anton 
Llamoso,  who  among  other  crimes  had  done  the  hein- 
our  murder  of  Dotia  Inez,  chanced  to  walk  in.  Some 
one  whispered  to  Aguirre,  "There  is  a  friend  of 
Perez." 

"They  tell  me  that  you  are  a  friend  to  this  traitor," 
he  said,  turning  to  the  astonished  Llamoso.  "How  is 
this?  Do  you  call  that  friendship  to  me?  And  do 
you  hold  thus  lightly  the  love  I  feel  for  you?" 

As  a  study  in  the  debasement  of  men,  the  scene  that 
followed  is  given  in  the  language  of  Fray  Pedro 
Simon,  from  his  "Sixth  Historical  Notice  of  the  Con- 
quest of  Tierra  Firma." 

"Those  who  had  slain  Martin  Perez,  and  who  were 
then  dripping  with  his  blood,  being  desirous  to  do 
more  murder,  had  scarcely  heard  Aguirre's  words  to 


OF  THE  MARANONES  223 

Llamoso,  when  they  gathered  close  around  eager  for 
the  signal  to  slay  him. 

"The  great  fear  that  at  once  fell  upon  the  wretch, 
made  him  haste  with  violent  protestations,  backing 
them  up  by  many  horrible  oaths,  mixed  with  vehe- 
ment blasphemies  against  those  who  accused  him, 
saying  that  such  treason  to  his  lord  had  never  entered 
his  thoughts,  and  that  Aguirre  ought  to  believe  him 
for  the  faithfulness  and  affection  which  he  had  always 
been  happy  to  show. 

**Aguirre  did  not  speak  at  once  and  it  seemed  to 
Llamoso  that  the  brutal  master  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  servile  words,  so  he  rushed  upon  the  body  of 
Martin  Perez,  almost  cut  to  pieces,  yet  moving  with 
departing  life,  and  threw  himself  with  madness  upon 
it,  shouting  with  desperate  frenzy,  ^Cursed  be  this 
abominable  traitor  who  meditated  so  foul  a  crime 
against  my  beloved  lord.  I  will  drink  his  blood  and 
eat  his  brain.* 

"So  saying,  the  abandoned  wretch  in  frantic  terror 
put  his  mouth  to  the  crushed  head,  with  more  than 
demoniac  rage,  and  applied  himself  with  the  appalling 
acts  of  a  famished  beast.  Rising  he  stood  trembling 
before  Aguirre  with  the  bloody  visage  of  a  demon, 
awaiting  the  returning  confidence  of  his  master. 

"  Tt  is  well,'  said  that  monster.    'He  is  faithful.' 

"In  a  transport  of  joy  Llamoso  embraced  him  and 
they  went  out  arm  in  arm.  And  thus  it  at  last  came 
about  that  he  was  indeed  faithful,  for  there  was  no  one 
who  sustained  Aguirre  until  his  last  hour  like  unto 
this  same  Llamoso." 

The  startling  news  given  by  the  deserters  spread 


224  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

over  the  coast  and  the  alarmed  governments  of  Santo 
Domingo,  Santa  Martha,  Merida,  and  Cartagena 
made  hasty  preparations  to  defend  themselves  and  to 
capture  the  monster  whose  hideousness  grew  with 
every  account. 

Three  small  fishing  smacks  opportunely  arrived  at 
this  time  in  the  bay  of  Margarita  and  were  seized  by 
Aguirre.  On  the  last  Sunday  in  August,  1561,  hav- 
ing destroyed  nearly  all  the  property  and  people  of  the 
island,  during  the  forty  days'  sojourn,  Aguirre  and  his 
men  left  for  the  mainland.  A  storm  drove  them  to 
Burburata.  The  Governor  of  Venezuela  immediately 
called  out  all  his  available  forces  to  capture  the  re- 
markable band  of  unparalleled  fiends. 

The  Maranones  arrived  in  the  harbor  about  night- 
fall. To  guard  themselves  from  a  night  attack,  they 
run  ashore  their  own  vessels  and  those  in  the  harbor 
and  set  them  on  fire.  In  the  circle  of  bright  light 
they  slept  unmolested  on  the  beech.  In  the  morning 
they  went  into  the  town,  but  found  it  deserted.  Then, 
in  a  style  that  would  have  been  the  admiration  and 
envy  of  the  buccaneers  and  pirates  who  ravaged  the 
same  coast  in  after  years,  they  ranged  over  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  terrorized  the  inhabitants. 

When  Pedro  Nunez,  the  principal  merchant  of 
Venezuela,  was  captured  and  brought  to  Aguirre,  the 
chief  asked  him  why  the  people  had  fled. 

"Most  certainly  because  of  fear,"  was  the  reply. 

"But  what  do  you  yourself  think  of  me  and  my 
men?"  persisted  Aguirre. 

Believing  a  pretext  was  sought  for  killing  him,  the 
tradesman  did  not  answer. 


I 


0 


Q 

O 
H 

o 

E- 

H 

O 
H 

I— I 

H 

'Z 
W 

M 
X 
H 

O 
g 

5 

P^ 

o 
IS 

w 

w 

E- 


OF  THE  MARANONES  227 

*'Give  your  opinion  freely,  and  fear  not  for  your- 
self," insisted  Aguirre  with  a  great  show  of  candor, 
"we  are  your  friends." 

Being  thus  pressed  for  an  answer,  the  unfortunate 
tradesman  ventured  to  say  that  he  greatly  feared  that 
they  were  Lutherans. 

"Stupid  barbarian !"  cried  the  chief,  horror-stricken 
and  enraged  at  the  charge.  "Is  it  possible  that  thou 
art  such  an  ignorant  savage  as  to  conceive  such  a 
horrid  calumny?  I  do  not  now  dash  thee  to  earth 
with  my  helmet,  only  that  at  a  more  fitting  season  I 
may  chastise  thee  with  a  death  becoming  to  thy 
impious  traducement." 

On  the  next  day  the  army  was  drawn  up  to  see 
strangled  the  wretched  man  who  had  so  foully  slan- 
dered them. 

It  was  at  this  place  where  Aguirre  permitted  Father 
Pedro  Contreras  to  return  to  his  charge  at  the  deso- 
late island  of  Margarita,  on  the  priest's  oath  that  he 
would  carry  to  the  King  of  Spain  the  declaration  of 
independence  drawn  up  by  the  Maranones  in  the  wil- 
derness of  the  Amazon. 

Advancing  on  through  Valencia,  he  laid  waste  the 
country  and  continued  to  commit  the  most  unspeak- 
able atrocities  on  to  Barquicimeto,  where  the  King's 
forces  were  collecting.  In  the  march  through  the 
wilderness,  many  found  opportunities  to  desert,  and  a 
proclamation  of  pardon  to  deserters  caused  the  army 
of  the  Maranones  to  diminish  rapidly. 

Garcia  de  Paredes,  having  charge  of  the  royal 
force,  marched  rapidly  to  the  jx>int  where  Aguirre 
had    intrenched    himself.      As    the    King's   troops 


228  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

appeared,  the  Maranones  threw  down  their  arms  and 
ran  to  them  crying,  "Long  Hve  the  King." 

Only  one  man  remained  in  the  trenches  with 
Aguirre.  It  was  the  pitiable  wretch  Anton  Llamoso, 
who  had  killed  Dofia  Inez,  now  exhibiting  a  less 
abhorrent  evidence  of  fidelity. 

Seeing  the  hopeless  situation,  Aguirre  went  to  the 
tent  of  his  daughter  and  her  companion,  Dofia  Tor- 
ralva,  all  that  remained  alive  of  the  hundred  or  more 
women  who  started  with  the  expedition  of  conquerors 
and  colonists.  "My  daughter,  commend  thyself  to 
thy  God,"  he  said,  "for  I  have  come  to  kill  thee,  that 
thou  mayst  not  be  pointed  at  with  scorn,  nor  be  in 
the  power  of  those  who  may  call  thee  the  daughter  of 
a  traitor.** 

Doiia  Torralva,  not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age,  caught 
the  arquebuse  from  his  hands,  but  he  thrust  her  aside 
and  killed  his  daughter  with  his  sword. 

Just  as  he  finished  this  dreadful  work,  the  troops 
came  up.  The  captain  wanted  to  spare  him  for  trial 
and  public  execution,  but  the  Maranones  demanded 
that  he  be  killed  at  once.  The  captain  consented  and 
two  Maranones  fired  their  arquebuses  at  him,  but  not 
bringing  him  to  the  ground. 

"Maranones!"  he  exclaimed,  steadying  himself 
against  the  pole  of  the  tent,  "you  have  aimed  better 
before  this.     Try  again." 

They  fired  again. 

"That  is  better,"  he  managed  to  say,  and  fell  dead. 

The  chief  officer  now  coming  up,  ordered  the  mur- 
dered daughter  to  be  buried  in  the  churchyard  of 
Barquicimeto,  but  the  body  of  the  infamous  man  was 


OF  THE  MARANONES  229 

divided  and  distributed  among  the  towns  as  a  warn- 
ing of  the  fate  of  traitors  to  the  King.  His  head  was 
placed  in  an  iron  cage  and  fastened  over  the  door  of 
the  house  of  justice  in  Tocuyo. 

Llamoso  was  taken  to  Pampluna,  the  town  founded 
by  Pedro  de  Ursua,  the  murdered  commander  of  the 
expedition,  and  was  there,  as  if  in  poetic  justice,  put 
to  the  garrotte  and  his  body  publicly  burned. 

It  is  said  that  the  bloody  prophesy  of  Aguirre  came 
true.  The  Maranones  carried  the  mark  of  Cain.  All 
died  the  violent  death  of  rabid  malefactors.  There 
was  no  place  where  they  could  hide  from  the  ven- 
geance of  man  and  the  law. 

The  natives  of  Venezuela  believe  that  Aguirre  still 
appears  now  and  then  among  them  as  their  evil  spirit. 
Those  who  are  benighted  on  the  marshy  plains  trem- 
ble at  unknown  sounds,  and,  pointing  to  the  strange 
swamp  lights,  cross  themselves  as  they  say,  "It  is  the 
soul  of  Aguirre  the  traitor." 


THE  LIBERATORS 

The  problem  that  the  United  States  has  found  in 
the  government  of  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  and  the  Philip- 
pines, presents  numerous  curious  phases  of  popular 
interest.  The  contrasts  between  the  heroism  of  the 
liberators  and  the  bloody  anarchy  that  invariably  fol- 
lowed freedom  in  every  Spanish-American  republic, 
furnish  a  subject  for  thoughtful  speculation.  Self- 
government,  as  understood  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  has 
not  been  even  approximately  approached  by  them 
through  four  generations.  All  their  advancement 
has  been  made  under  the  martial  hand  of  wise  dic- 
tators. 

One  of  the  dictator  presidents  of  Venezuela,  in  a 
message  to  his  congress,  congratulated  the  country 
on  the  fact  that  there  had  been  only  seventeen  revo- 
lutions during  the  past  two  years.  Notwithstanding 
such  a  spectacle  of  hate,  distrust,  espionage,  intrigue, 
immorality,  assassination  and  anarchy,  as  everywhere 
prevailed,  Spanish-America  has  produced  many  of 
the  bravest  and  noblest  men,  and  in  its  progress  puts 
to  shame  the  mother  country,  with  all  her  advantages 
of  European  civilization. 

The  victory  of  Nelson  in  Trafalgar  Bay,  early  in 
1805,  provided  a  favorable  opportunity  for  the  Span- 
ish colonies  to  free  themselves,  and  the  usurpation  of 
the  throne  of  Spaip  by  Joseph  Bonaparte  gave  a  politi- 

250 


THE  LIBERATORS  i$i 

[  cal  and  religious  excuse  that  appealed  strongly  to  the 
[         popular  mind. 

A  most  exciting  and  adventurous  period  followed. 
The  land  of  romance  was  again  in  a  ferment.  Once 
more  there  were  men  in  the  saddle  anxious  to  rival 
the  deeds  of  their  steel-cased  ancestors  who  followed 
the  fortunes  of  the  first  conquerors. 

Continuously  from  the  time  of  the  independence  of 
the  United  States  from  England  to  the  acknowledged 
independence  of  the  Spanish  colonies  from  Spain,  the 
United  States  had  ample  reason  for  interference  and 
equal  opportunity  to  add  Spanish  territory.  A  study 
of  comparative  history  shows  that  the  United  States 
has  from  first  to  last  profited  with  extraordinary  re- 
luctance by  the  incompetency  and  cruelty  of  Spain. 
The  beginning  affords  a  peculiar  example  and  an 
interesting  parallel. 

In  1805,  a  well-dressed  and  distinguished-looking 
foreigner  came  to  New  York  from  England  and 
lodged  at  Mrs.  Avery's  boarding  house  in  State  street. 
To  his  fellow  boarders  he  became  known  as  George 
Martin.  In  a  few  days  he  received  a  letter  from 
Washington  City  which  caused  him  to  take  a  hasty 
departure.  As  soon  as  the  primitive  methods  of 
travel  permitted,  he  reached  the  National  capitol  and 
was  admitted  to  a  private  interview  with  President 
Jefferson  and  his  Secretary  of  State,  James  Madison. 
At  the  hotel  in  Washington  he  was  registered  as 
Seiior  Molini.  February  2d,  he  returned  to  New 
York  and  at  once  went  aboard  the  Leander,  a  mer- 
chant ship  belonging  to  Samuel  G.  Ogden.  The 
Leander  came  to  anchor  between  Staten  Island  and 


232  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

the  Jersey  shore.  Two  or  three  days  later  a  Spanish 
gentleman  suddenly  appeared  before  the  naval  officer 
of  the  port  with  the  charge  that  large  quantities  of 
arms  and  ammunition  were  being  taken  secretly  on 
board  that  vessel  at  night.  The  officer  turned  to 
his  books  and  found  that  the  Leander  was  cleared  for 
Jacquemel.  Therefore  there  appeared  to  be  no  legal 
reason  for  interfering.  But  exciting  rumors  were  at 
once  set  afloat  as  to  the  destination  and  object  of  the 
Leander. 

Marquis  Yrujo,  of  Spain,  assisted  by  the  French 
Ambassador,  lodged  formal  complaint  with  the  Gov- 
ernment and  through  the  ^'Philadelphia  Gazette" 
accused  Jefferson  and  Madison  of  criminal  connivance 
with  the  enemies  of  Spain  for  the  overthrow  of  Span- 
ish power  in  America. 

The  Federal  authorities  arrested  Mr.  Ogden,  owner 
of  the  Leander,  and  Colonel  William  Smith,  son-in- 
law  of  John  Adams,  and  the  collector  of  the  port  of 
New  York,  each  of  whom  were  put  under  $20,000 
bonds. 

Political  and  personal  accusations  and  recrimina- 
tions waxed  hot  and  burning  epithets  were  hurled 
back  and  forth  like  fiery  hand-grenades  in  a  fight  with 
pirates.  Strange  to  say  the  dispute  raged  chiefly 
around  the  question  as  to  whether  the  Federalists  or 
the  Democrats  had  the  honor  of  being  the  best  friends 
of  the  Spaniards.  It  was  necessary  to  love  the  Span- 
iard in  order  to  satisfy  the  popular  hate  for  England. 
Meantime  the  Leander  sailed  away  on  its  mission  of 
liberation,  the  beginning  that  was  to  find  an  end 
ninety-three  years  later.     But  the  opportune  time  was 


THE  LIBERATORS  233 

not  yet  at  hand.  The  expedition  was  unsuccessful 
and  the  organizer  with  difficulty  succeeded  in  escap- 
ing to  England  from  Trinidad.  This  adventurer  had 
passed  through  a  campaign  with  Washington  nearly 
twenty  years  before,  greatly  honored  as  Don  Fran- 
cisco de  Miranda  of  Caracas.  He  fought  with  great 
credit  through  the  Belgian  campaign  of  1793  with 
Dumouriez,  and  later  became  a  favorite  at  the  courts 
of  both  England  and  Russia.  He  did  not  cease  his 
efforts  with  the  failure  of  the  Leander  expedition, 
but  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  the  object  of  Span- 
ish-American liberty.  July  30,  1812,  after  another 
unsuccessful  attempt  at  revolution,  he  was  arrested  at 
Laguira  and  delivered  to  the  Spaniards,  by  Simon 
Bolivar,  his  subordinate  companion  in  arms,  who  had 
signed  the  treaty  of  Victoria,  five  days  before,  restor- 
ing Venezuela  to  Spain.  Miranda  was  imprisoned  at 
San  Carlos.  After  several  months,  he  was  sent  to 
Porto  Rico  and  then  to  Cadiz  in  Spain,  where  he  per- 
ished some  years  later  a  prisoner  in  the  dungeons  of 
Fort  La  Caraca.  It  is  recorded  that  when  Bolivar, 
who  is  known  as  the  Washington  of  South  America, 
delivered  his  elder  companion  in  arms  to  the  Spanish 
authorities,  he  said,  'T  surrender  Miranda  in  order  to 
punish  a  traitor  to  my  country,  and  not  to  do  a  service 
to  the  King." 

It  is  true  that  the  liberation  of  the  greater  part  of 
South  America  was  afterward  efifected  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Bolivar,  and  yet  one  of  his  lieutenants  wrote 
a  book  to  prove  him  a  monster  of  tyranny,  while  there 
was  constant  rebellion  against  his  authority  and  un- 
ceasing revolution  under  his  government. 


234  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

The  deeds  and  achievements  of  the  patriotic  troops 
under  Bolivar  and  his  lieutenants  equaled  many  of 
the  heroic  acts  of  the  conquerors  and  rivaled  the  most 
thrilling  records  of  patriotism  in  any  country,  but  the 
moment  the  hand  of  the  dictator  was  off  of  them  there 
was  immediate  anarchy. 

When  the  patriot  army  crossed  the  Andes  to  San- 
tander,  it  had  equaled  the  feat  of  Hannibal  crossing 
the  Alps.  The  bands  that  waded  the  peri>etual 
swamps  through  the  terrors  of  the  tropical  forests, 
were  as  devoted  and  courageous  as  those  of  Marion, 
Sumpter,  Pickens,  and  Lee.  The  scene  of  Bolivar's 
wild  and  haggard  band  driving  before  them  with 
unsparing  slaughter  the  atrocious  Barriera  is  more 
inspiring  than  that  of  Washington  inactive  at  Valley 
Forge. 

The  Spanish  foe  was  immeasurably  more  savage 
than  Tyron  or  Arnold  in  New  England.  Ferdinand 
VII  of  Spain  ordered  a  war  of  extermination,  and 
General  Boves  sacked  the  towns  in  his  course  of  sub- 
jugation through  Venezuela,  not  allowing  the  dead  to 
be  buried,  but  commanding  that  the  bodies  of  men, 
women,  and  children  be  left  rotting  where  they  fell. 

When  Aragua  was  entered  by  Suasola,  with  about 
five  hundred  troops  from  the  army  of  Monteverde, 
the  inhabitants,  numbering  fifteen  hundred,  made  a 
great  public  feast  for  them.  After  a  merry  hour,  the 
soldiers,  under  secret  orders,  turned  upon  their  enter- 
tainers and  cut  off  the  ears  of  every  person  in  the 
town.  A  trunk  full  of  these  gniesome  relics  was  sent 
to  Monteverde  ^s  a  proof  of  his  lieutenant's  fidelity 


THE  LIBERATORS  237 

and  they  were  worn  as  souvenirs  in  the  hatbands  of 
the  soldiers. 

While  Simon  Bolivar  was  expelling  Spain  from  the 
Northern  part  of  South  America,  Jose  de  San  Martin 
was  drilling  his  army  of  the  Andes  at  Mendoza  in 
Argentina,  just  across  the  mountains  from  Santiago. 
January  17,  1817,  the  army,  led  by  San  Martin  and 
O'Higgins,  started  across  the  Andes  to  drive  the 
Spaniards  out  of  Chili.  Nearly  four  thousand  men, 
and  eleven  thousand  horses  crossed  over  the  summit 
of  the  Uspallata  pass,  12,500  feet  above  the  sea,  4,000 
feet  higher  than  the  Great  St.  Bernard.  The  conduct 
of  this  expedition  required  more  executive  ability  and 
foresight  than  that  of  Napoleon  crossing  the  Alps. 

The  two  victorious  armies  neared  each  other  in 
Peru  early  in  1822.  On  July  26,  the  two  great  liber- 
ators met  at  the  port  of  Guayaquil  and  at  this  con- 
ference San  Martin  agreed  to  leave  the  country  and 
give  Bolivar  free  sway. 

But  of  all  the  liberators  of  Spanish  America,  the 
one  who  most  nearly  fills  the  role  of  ideal  hero  is 
Miguel  Hidalgo  of  Mexico.  If  he  failed  anywhere 
it  was  in  having  the  executive  daring  of  a  great  sol- 
dier. 

In  1752,  Don  Cristobal  Hidalgo  y  Costilla  visited 
the  southern  part  of  the  hacienda,  of  which  he  was 
Governor.  One  day  he  stopped  for  dinner  at  the 
farmhouse  of  Antonio  Gallaja,  who  was  one  of  his 
tenants.  The  daughters  of  Gallaja  were  famed  for 
their  beauty  and  wit.  They  did  their  utmost  to  gain 
the  admiration  of  the  rich  and  powerful  Hidalgo,  but 
a  girl  who  stood  behind  their  chairs  and  waited  on 


238  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

them  attracted  his  attention  most.  He  found  that 
the  Httle  beauty,  so  coarsely  dressed  and  who  was 
treated  by  them  Hke  a  slave,  was  an  orphaned  cousin, 
named  Anna  Maria. 

The  following  day  Don  Cristobal  returned  and 
asked  Anna  Maria  to  take  a  walk  with  him.  At  part- 
ing he  placed  a  ring  on  her  finger  in  token  that  ''My 
true  love  hath  my  heart  and  I  have  his." 

She  was  soon  Don  Cristobal's  wife,  and,  when  her 
second  son  was  born,  she  little  dreamed  that  he  was 
to  be  the  hero  of  Mexico  and  the  noblest  liberator  of 
all  Spanish-America.  There  was  no  opening  for  such 
aspirations  and  genius  as  his  but  through  the  Church. 
His  rise  was  rapid  and  he  might  have  worn  the  car- 
dinal's hat  if  he  had  been  willing  to  play  at  politics. 
But  he  was  a  true  father  of  the  people.  In  his  resist- 
ance to  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  he  made  bitter 
enemies  and  a  trial  for  heresy  was  instituted  against 
him,  but  his  character  was  so  unassailable  and  his 
talents  so  conspicuous  that  even  in  those  corrupt 
ecclesiastical  courts  only  a  mild  discipline  could  be 
secured  against  him.  In  time  he  became  cura  of 
Dolores  with  the  wider  opportunity  to  ameliorate  the 
conditions  and  miseries  of  ignorance  and  poverty. 
He  revolutionized  the  district.  The  house  of  almost 
every  family  of  learning  became  a  free  school  for  the 
poor.  He  planted  vineyards,  introduced  silkworms, 
and  established  potteries,  brick  kilns,  tanneries,  and 
rope  factories.  He  lived  with  the  poor,  wore  coarse 
serge  cassock,  and  there  was  nothing  but  his  scholarly 
and  benevolent  countenance  to  distinguish  him  from 
the  commonest  laborers. 


THE  LIBERATORS  239 

He  made  extended  investigations  into  literature, 
philosophy,  theology,  and  jurisprudence,  reaching 
into  the  mighty  domain  of  liberty  of  conscience,  free- 
dom of  thought  and  hatred  of  tyranny.  Although 
surrounded  by  the  most  ignorant  and  superstitious 
people,  he  formed  benevolent  and  social  societies, 
clubs,  guilds,  and  educational  associations.  Foreign 
visitors  and  the  most  distinguished  men  in  Mexico 
began  to  make  Dolores  their  Mecca.  Gradually  his 
influence  and  eloquence  began  to  turn  toward  the 
regeneration  of  society  and  the  reformation  of  gov- 
ernment. He  knew  more  law  than  the  legal  advisers 
of  the  King,  more  theology  than  the  archbishop  of 
the  Church,  and  he  could  govern  better  than  any 
appointee  that  had  ever  been  sent  over  the  ocean  from 
Spain. 

Being  neither  a  hypocrite  nor  a  coward,  his  influ- 
ence became  very  offensive  to  the  corrupt  minions  of 
church  and  state.  Charges  of  heresy  and  sedition 
were  preferred  before  the  Inquisition  against  the  pro- 
gressive priest  of  Dolores.  He  was  denounced  by 
those  in  power  as  the  servant  of  Satan.  He  was 
branded  with  the  awful  sacrilege  of  being  a  priest 
who  was  not  an  ascetic  and  who  did  not  believe  in 
flagellation.  It  was  charged  that  he  claimed  not  to 
be  afraid  of  the  inferno  and  that  he  reserved  the  right 
of  private  judgment  in  the  interpretation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. But  his  life  was  stainless,  and  all  knew  it.  He 
had  committed  no  crime  against  the  law  and  those 
who  loved  him  were  too  numerous  to  be  defied. 

In  the  dilemma  some  one  discovered  that  he  had 
no  right  to  plant  vineyards  and  mulberry  gloves,  nor 


240  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

to  establish  the  numerous  manufactories  through 
which  the  community  was  flourishing.  Accordingly 
he  was  compelled  to  stand  by  with  his  people  and  see 
the  best  work  of  years  overthrown  and  his  prosperous 
industries  ruined.  The  vines,  trees,  and  shops  were 
destroyed  in  one  day  by  the  Spanish  soldiers,  and 
strict  orders  were  given  that  they  should  not  be  repro- 
duced. 

The  officials  guilty  of  this  deed  began  to  notice  with 
alarm  that  the  Cura  of  Dolores,  though  now  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age,  was  absent  a  great  deal  from  his 
parish  and  province.  The  humble  Creole  curas  of  a 
score  of  cantons  were  constantly  visiting  the  little 
house  where  Miguel  Hidalgo  lived.  Everybody 
seemed  to  know  that  great  secrets  were  being  guarded 
and  there  was  a  hush  over  affairs  that  betokened  a 
coming  storm. 

Unfortunately  at  this  time  the  Canoness  Ittariga  fell 
ill  and  believed  herself  about  to  die.  She  confided 
to  her  confessor,  the  Cura  of  Queretaro,  that  Hidalgo 
was  to  head  a  revolt  against  the  authority  of  Spain  on 
the  first  day  of  November,  1810,  and  that  the  Gon- 
zales brothers  were  acquainted  with  all  the  details 
which  were  unknown  to  her.  In  an  hour  the  Gon- 
zales brothers  were  called  to  the  Governor's  house  on 
some  alleged  business  and  were  secretly  arrested  and 
thrown  into  the  dungeon,  where  there  were  all  of  the 
appliances  of  the  inquisition,  to  await  the  speedy 
arrival  of  the  inquisitor. 

The  doom  of  the  conspirators  for  liberty  seemed  at 
hand  when  Doiia  Josefa  Ortiz,  the  heroic  wife  of 
Dominquez,  Corregidor  of  Queretaro,  whose  house 


THE  LIBERATORS  241 

was  built  against  the  wall  of  the  prison,  heard,  while 
passing  to  and  fro  at  her  work,  a  series  of  three  sharp 
taps  on  the  wall  from  within  the  prison.  Her  heart 
stood  still.  She  understood  at  once.  It  was  the 
signal  agreed  upon  with  Perez,  the  jailer.  Someone 
was  being  held  in  the  inquisitorial  dungeon  to  have 
the  secrets  of  the  conspiracy  tortured  out  of  him.  In 
a  few  minutes  trusty  messengers  were  hurried  away, 
one  to  General  Allende  at  San  Miguel,  and  another  to 
Hidalgo  at  Dolores,  warning  them  that  the  plot  for 
liberty  was  discovered. 

The  cura  was  in  his  study,  and  sitting  close  around 
him  were  a  dozen  dark-visaged  men  eagerly  listening 
to  his  low-spoken  words,  when  a  series  of  raps,  betok- 
ening a  hurried  messenger,  startled  them  from  their 
chairs.  Hidalgo  arose  and  cautiously  asked  who  was 
there.  It  was  past  midnight  and  the  visitor  was 
clearly  one  of  importance. 

"My  message  is  only  for  the  ears  of  Hidalgo,"  was 
the  reply. 

Hidalgo  opened  the  door.  "Speak  out,  friend,"  the 
cura  said,  as  the  man  entered,  "I  am.  Hidalgo  and 
these  are  as  one  with  him." 

The  messenger  told  hurriedly  what  had  occurred 
and  the  men  turned  with  blanched  faces  to  the  cura. 

Hidalgo's  face  lighted  up  with  the  animation  of  one 
who  sees  that  the  supreme  hour  has  come  for  a  great 
movement. 

"Action  at  once,"  he  exclaimed.  "There  is  no  time 
to  be  lost.  The  yoke  of  our  Spanish  oppressors  shall 
be  broken  at  once  and  the  fragments  scattered  over 
Mexico." 


242  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

A  conference  ensued,  lasting  until  daylight,  when 
the  street  watchman  was  called  in  and  told  to  arouse 
the  fifteen  workmen  employed  in  the  cura's  pottery, 
which  had  been  saved  from  the  wreck  of  industries. 

When  the  astonished  men  appeared  the  cura  told 
them  that  the  era  of  liberty  had  begun  and  asked  them 
if  they  were  ready  to  bear  arms  and  devote  their  lives 
to  its  cause. 

Weeping  with  joy  they  embraced  him  and  the 
delighted  cura  cried,  "Long  live  our  Lady  of  Guad- 
alupe, and  long  live  our  new-born  liberty." 

It  was  Sunday  morning  and  the  church  bell  was 
rung  an  hour  earlier  than  had  ever  been  done  before 
for  mass.  The  Creoles  and  Indians  flocked  from  the 
surrounding  country,  for  it  was  felt  everywhere  that 
something  unusual  was  about  to  take  place.  When 
the  people  were  called  together  they  heard  a  remark- 
able discourse.  The  priest  told  them  that  they  would 
not  have  mass  that  day,  as  there  was  greater  need  at 
that  time  to  be  delivered  from  the  Spaniard  than  from 
the  devil. 

"My  children,"  he  exclaimed,  "a  new  dispensation 
has  come  to  us  this  day.  Are  you  ready  to  receive 
it?  Will  you  be  free?  Will  you  strive  to  recover 
from  the  hated  Spaniard  the  liberty  of  which  you  have 
been  robbed  for  three  centuries?" 

Great  and  eager  cries  arose  on  all  sides  and  the 
people  pressed  around  him. 

"To-day  is  the  day  of  our  salvation,"  he  continued. 
"We  will  go  to  San  Miguel  for  arms.  Let  all  follow 
me  who  believe  in  liberty  for  themselves  and  their 
children." 


THE  LIBERATORS  243 

When  General  Allende  received  his  message,  he 
hastened  to  Dolores  and  soon  there  was  a  rabble  of 
four  thousand  natives,  armed  with  lances,  clubs, 
machettes,  slings,  and  bows.  San  Miguel  was  taken 
and  the  wild  passions  of  the  oppressed  people  broke 
forth  in  such  a  storm  that  no  man  could  govern  it. 
The  Spaniard  had  robbed,  insulted,  and  killed  for 
three  hundred  years  without  retaliation  or  punish- 
ment, and  nothing  but  brutal  destruction  could  now 
be  expected. 

The  archbishop  excommunicated  the  priest  and  all 
his  followers.  Every  pulpit  denounced  him  as  a 
Lutheran  devil.  Hidalgo  was  summoned  to  appear 
before  the  inquisition,  and  he  replied,  "I  owe  nothing 
to  a  Spanish  inquisition.  It  is  not  necessary  to  be  a 
slave  in  order  to  be  a  true  Catholic.  I  am  loyal  to 
my  religion,  you  to  your  politics.'* 

The  religious  terrors  and  the  torture  of  the  inquisi- 
tion were  mingled  with  the  dreadful  excesses  of  civil 
war.  The  Spaniards  fled  to  the  largest  cities,  women 
and  children  were  sent  to  the  convents,  and  all  treas- 
ures were  shipped  to  foreign  countries.      Btt&croh  libraiy 

The  revolutionists  swept  everything  before  them 
and  defeated  the  army  sent  out  to  prevent  them  enter- 
ing the  City  of  Mexico.  But  Hidalgo  did  not  believe 
his  poorly  equipped  army  could  take  the  city.  He 
ordered  a  retreat  to  await  a  more  favorable  condition. 
This  was  a  fatal  reversal  of  the  victorious  advance.  It 
was  demoralizing  to  the  natives  and  encouraging  to 
the  Spaniards.  In  a  short  time  the  Benedict  Arnold 
of  Mexican  liberty  appeared.  Ignacio  Elizondo  suc- 
ceeded in  leading  Hidalgo  into  a  Spanish  ambush  at 


244  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

Acatila  de  Bajen,  March  21,  181 1,  where  he  was  cap- 
tured. Fearful  revenge  was  taken.  The  dispirited 
army  was  scattered  before  the  invigorated  onslaughts 
of  the  Spaniards.  All  the  leaders  were  captured  and 
shot.  Hidalgo  was  reserved  for  special  ecclesiastical 
degradations.  Doiia  Josefa,  the  heroine  of  the  revo- 
lution, was  closely  imprisoned  for  several  years,  her 
property  confiscated  and  her  children  turned  out  to 
beggary. 

The  last  words  of  Hidalgo  were,  "The  knell  of 
Spanish  rule  in  America  has  been  sounded.  Liberty 
for  all  will  come." 

He  died  with  the  distinction  of  having  been  form- 
ally sentenced  to  death  by  the  Pope  and  the  King  of 
Spain.  Until  the  independence  of  Mexico  in  1824, 
under  Iturbide,  Hidalgo's  head  remained  on  public 
exhibition  in  an  iron  cage,  with  those  of  his  two  gen- 
erals, as  a  Spanish  warning  against  all  aspirations  for 
liberty.  On  the  cage  was  this  inscription:  "These 
heads  of  Miguel  Hidalgo,  Ignacio  Allende,  and 
Mariano  Jimanez,  insidious  intriguers  and  leading 
chiefs  of  the  revolution,  who  have  seized  the  property 
of  the  Religion  of  God,  and  the  Real  Presence,  and 
shed  with  the  greatest  atrocity  the  blood  of  faithful 
priests,  and  just  magistrates;  the  cause  of  all  the 
calamities,  disgraces,  and  disasters,  which  all  the 
inhabitants  of  this  land,  an  integral  part  of  Spain,  suf- 
fer and  deplore." 

Now  these  relics  of  patriotism  lie  in  costly  sepul- 
chres in  the  capital,  revered  by  all,  and  the  chief 
national  holiday  of  Mexico  is  sacred  to  the  memory 
of  Hidalgo. 


THE  LIBERATORS  H5 

Some  remarkable  characters  were  brought  to  the 
front  as  dictators  in  the  whirlpool  of  insurrection  and 
anarchy  that  followed  Spanish-American  indepen- 
dence. Rafael  Carerra  of  Gautemala,  was  typical. 
He  was  a  half-breed  and  his  youth  was  spent  as  a  pig 
driver.  Then  he  became  a  loafer  and  gambler,  cheat- 
ing the  laborers  out  of  their  wages.  The  turning 
point  in  his  career  as  maranero  and  montero  was 
brought  about  by  a  Frenchman  who  owned  a  cochi- 
neal plantation.  The  fastidious  gentleman  found 
Carerra  behind  the  wall  of  the  courtyard  cheating  the 
gullible  French  servants  out  of  their  money,  and  so 
the  gambler  was  promptly  kicked  off  the  estate. 

Such  episodes  in  his  business  were  not  relished  and 
he  aspired  to  robberies  on  a  more  extended  scale.  In 
the  mountains  were  many  thousands  of  refuges  from 
both  justice  and  injustice.  These  were  chiefly  Indian 
slaves  and  half-breeds  who  levied  tribute  from  unfor- 
tunate travelers  from  motives  of  plunder  and  revenge. 
Carerra  cast  his  lot  with  those  people  and  soon  rose 
to  great  distinction  and  influence  among  them. 

Some  time  previous  to  this,  Morazan  had  expelled 
the  priests  and  ordered  the  destruction  of  the  con- 
vents. The  robber  who  had  become  so  influential  as 
to  be  able  to  organize  the  many  bands  under  one  head 
was  encouraged  to  become  a  revolutionist.  Several 
frightful  earthquakes  occurred  and  the  priests  de-' 
clared  that  those  shocks  were  but  the  beginning  evi- 
dence of  God's  displeasure  for  worse  things  to  follow 
if  the  sacriligious  tyrants  and  usurpers  were  not  driven 
from  Gautemala.  A  dreadful  plague  of  cholera 
appeared  opportunely  and  Carerra  raised  the  standard 


246  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

of  rebellion.  The  mountaineers  flocked  to  him  from 
every  quarter.  After  numerous  sanguinary  engage- 
ments where  quarter  was  neither  given  nor  taken, 
Morazan  was  driven  from  the  country.  In  1843,  he 
tried  to  raise  a  counter  revolution  in  Costa  Rica,  but 
was  captured  and  shot.  Carerra  was  thus  left  master 
of  the  state  with  an  unassailable  support  from  the  half- 
breeds  and  Indians. 

The  Frenchman  who  had  driven  the  petty  gambler 
from  his  cochineal  plantation,  expecting  to  have  his 
property  confiscated  by  the  dictator,  and  to  lose  his 
life  for  having  so  summarily  treated  the  conqueror, 
fled  from  the  country,  but  was  captured  by  the  emis- 
saries of  Carerra  and  brought  before  the  tyrant. 

The  planter  fell  on  his  knees  and  begged  that  his 
family  be  spared.  He  expected  the  dictator  to  order 
immediate  execution,  but  to  his  surprise,  Carerra  bade 
him  arise,  embraced  him,  and  made  him  treasurer  of 
the  state. 

Carerra  was  known  as  "El  Indio"  or  the  Indian,  and 
the  aristocracy  heartily  despised  him.  At  the  first 
opportunity  an  extended  conspiracy  was  formed 
against  him,  but  it  came  to  a  singular  conclusion. 

One  of  the  chief  officers  in  the  army  volunteered 
to  kill  him  at  the  grand  clerical  festival  about  to  take 
place.  The  assassin  mingled  with  the  throng  and 
pressed  nearer  and  nearer  his  victim,  the  conspirators 
meanwhile  closing  in  around  them.  Three  steps 
across  an  open  space  would  bring  him  to  the  side  of 
the  dictator.  The  assassin  drew  his  dagger  under  his 
cloak,  and  as  he  did  so  the  metal-tipped  sheath  became 
unloosened  and  fell  to  the  stone  floor  with  a  clinking 


THE  LIBERATORS  349 

sound  of  startling  significance.  Before  he  could 
cover  the  tell-tale  mishap,  the  scabbard  was  seen  by 
the  President  and  his  friends.  The  urbane  head  of 
the  Republic  picked  the  article  up  from  the  floor,  and 
with  a  bow  handed  it  to  its  owner,  who  as  politely 
acknowledged  the  courtesy.  The  festivities  con- 
tinued as  if  nothing  had  occurred  to  mar  the  occasion, 
but  an  observer,  understanding  the  situation,  could 
have  seen  a  dozen  stalwart  men  of  unmistakable 
Indian  type  slowly  moving  nearer  the  door  with  the 
unsuccessful  assassin  in  their  midst.  Half  an  hour 
later  he  was  in  chains  on  the  floor  of  the  castle  dun- 
geon. 

The  investigation  that  followed  showed  that  two 
brothers  of  the  highest  Catalonian  family  were  at  the 
head  of  the  conspiracy.  Every  device  of  persuasion 
and  torture  was  used  to  make  them  reveal  their 
accomplices,  but  they  were  stoically  silent.  The  offi- 
cer who  had  attempted  the  assassination  was  con- 
demned to  be  shot  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
two  brothers  to  share  this  fate  immediately  after. 

Every  resource  of  influence  and  wealth  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  Carerra  in  favor  of  the  two  brothers,  but 
in  vain.  At  the  fatal  hour  a  volley  of  shots,  heard 
inside  the  castle  dungeon,  signified  plainly  that  the 
officer  had  met  his  punishment.  Presently  the  guards 
came  to  the  prison  with  a  priest  and  the  brothers  were 
implored  once  more  to  reveal  the  names  of  their 
accomplices,  but  they  heroically  refused  to  speak. 
The  elder  brother  was  then  led  away.  A  volley  of 
musketry  followed  and  the  guard  returned  with  the 
priest  to  the  younger  brother.    In  vain  he  was  advised 


250  THRILLING  ADVENTURES 

to  reveal  the  conspirators.  He  was  then  hurried 
away  to  a  spot  where  there  were  two  new-made  graves 
and  one  not  yet  filled. 

"For  the  last  time,"  said  the  executioner,  "you  are 
asked  to  reveal  the  truth." 

The  boy's  lips  closed  tighter  and  there  was  only 
silence.  The  firing  orders  were  given,  "one,  two, 
three, — "  At  that  instant  Carerra  sprang  forward, 
snatched  the  cloak  from  the  condemned  man's  head, 
unbound  him,  and  after  embracing  him,  said,  "Go  join 
your  brother  at  your  home.  Gautemala  cannot  spare 
such  brave  sons." 

This  was  one  of  the  singular  tyrants  that  flourished 
on  the  soil  of  Spanish-America.  Revolution  at  last 
drove  him  out  of  power,  but  he  set  a  strange  gauge 
for  New  World  chivalry. 

One  of  the  most  romantic  episodes  told  of  his  meth- 
ods of  justice,  occurred  near  the  close  of  his  career. 
Diego  Cortace,  a  wealthy  young  Spaniard,  holding  a 
large  estate  in  Gautemala,  had  been  so  diplomatic  that 
through  all  the  revolutions  he  had  remained  unmo- 
lested. 

In  Cobra  there  was  a  creole  girl  who  kept  a  small 
store  of  confections  and  fruit.  She  was  wise  as  she 
was  beautiful  and  none  of  her  numerous  suitors  knew 
whom  she  favored  until  her  tireless  efforts  to  obtain 
the  release  of  a  Spanish  youth,  who  had  been  impris- 
oned for  engaging  in  an  insurrection  against  Carerra, 
revealed  where  her  chief  interest  lay.  Several  visits 
had  been  made  by  her  to  the  dictator  in  her  lover's 
behalf,  but  the  sentence  of  death  was  pronounced  and 
the  day  of  execution  drew  near,  when  Maria  suddenly 


THE  LIBERATORS  251 

disappeared.  An  Indian  from  the  farm  of  Cortace 
came  to  Carerra  and  told  him  that  a  young  woman 
was  being  held  unwillingly  a  prisoner  on  his  master's 
farm.  A  score  of  cavalrymen  were  at  once  sent  to 
bring  the  woman  and  man  before  the  dictator.  A 
few  hours  later  they  returned  with  the  Spaniard  and 
the  girl,  when  she  frankly  told  Carerra  that  she  had 
gone  with  some  men  who  came  to  her  with  the  pro- 
posal to  break  into  the  castle  dungeon  and  liberate  her 
lover.  Instead  of  going  to  the  castle,  the  leader,  who 
was  Diego  Cortace  in  disguise,  seized  her  and  carried 
her  into  the  country  to  his  house  as  a  prisoner,  where 
he  was  about  to  kill  her  or  make  her  his  slave  when 
the  rescue  came. 

Carerra  called  in  a  priest. 

"The  prisoner  desires  to  marry  this  girl,"  said  he, 
"and  I  have  concluded  that  he  shall  do  so." 

There  could  be  no  protestations  against  the  well- 
known  iron  will  of  the  dictator  and  the  marriage  was 
done. 

After  congratulating  the  terrified  bride,  he  ordered 
the  prisoner  to  be  taken  away.  Within  half  an  hour  a 
man  returned  and  gave  a  signed  document  to  the 
dictator.  A  few  minutes  later  the  priest  came  in  with 
the  prisoner  of  the  castle  dungeon. 

"Was  this  your  lover  before  your  late  marriage?" 
asked  Carerra  of  the  girl. 

She  could  only  bow  her  head. 

"Then  let  me  congratulate  you,"  continued  the 
dictator.  "Your  husband  is  dead,  you  are  invested 
with  his  estates,  and  it  is  my  will  that  you  marry  your 
heart's  choice,  who  is  now  a  free  man.  Priest,  per- 
form your  duty." 


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